PURPOSE: To report the acute toxicity profile and compliance from a randomized Phase III trial comparing acceleratedradiotherapy (AR) with acceleratedradiotherapy plus carbogen and nicotinamide (ARCON) in laryngeal cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: From April 2001 to February 2008, 345 patients with

Purpose: To report the acute toxicity profile and compliance from a randomized Phase III trial comparing acceleratedradiotherapy (AR) with acceleratedradiotherapy plus carbogen and nicotinamide (ARCON) in laryngeal cancer. Methods and Materials: From April 2001 to February 2008, 345 patients with

Over the last twenty years the treatment of cancer with protons and light nuclei such as carbon ions has moved from being the preserve of research laboratories into widespread clinical use. A number of choices now exist for the creation and delivery of these particles, key amongst these being the adoption of pencil beam scanning using a rotating gantry; attention is now being given to what technologies will enable cheaper and more effective treatment in the future. In this article the physics and engineering used in these hadron therapy facilities is presented, and the research areas likely to lead to substantive improvements. The wider use of superconducting magnets is an emerging trend, whilst further ahead novel high-gradient acceleration techniques may enable much smaller treatment systems. Imaging techniques to improve the accuracy of treatment plans must also be developed hand-in-hand with future sources of particles, a notable example of which is proton computed tomography.

Laser acceleration promises innovation in particle beam therapy of cancer where an ultra-compact accelerator system for cancer beam therapy can become affordable to a broad range of patients. This is not feasible without the introduction of a technology that is radically different from the conventional accelerator-based approach. The laser acceleration method provides many enhanced capabilities for the radiation oncologist. It reduces the overall system size and weight by more than one order of magnitude. The characteristics of the particle beams (protons) make them suitable for a class of therapy that might not be possible with the conventional accelerator, such as the ease for changing pulse intensity, the focus spread, the pinpointedness, and the dose delivery in general. A compact, uncluttered system allows a PET device to be located in the vicinity of the patient in concert with the compact gantry. The radiation oncologist may be able to irradiate a localized tumor by scanning with a pencil-like particle...

A new heavy-ion accelerator facility for radiotherapy is being designed at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Performance requirements have been established. Ions from helium to argon can be accelerated to a maximum energy of 800 MeV/nucleon with intensities in the range 10/sup 8/ to 10/sup 9/ particles per second. The accelerator subsystems consist of a linac injector, a synchrotron, and a beam-delivery system. Specifications have been developed for many of the technical components, and some details of the technical design are presented.

From 1975 to 1982, 32 patients with a diagnosis of anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid were entered into a protocol of hyperfractionated acceleratedradiotherapy. The tumor dose was 30-45 Gy at 1 Gy per fraction given 4 times a day at 3-h intervals. The results were disappointing with a median survival of less than 6 months. Two patients developed radiation myelopathy at 8 and 13 months, total spinal cord dose being 39.9 and 48.3 Gy, respectively. The risk of spinal cord damage was much higher than expected. The possible radiobiological causes and clinical implications are discussed.

Tumour regression and organ deformations during radiotherapy (RT) of cervical cancer represent major challenges regarding accurate conformation and calculation of dose when using image-guided adaptive radiotherapy. Deformable registration algorithms are able to handle organ deformations, which can...... be useful with advanced tools such as auto segmentation of organs and dynamic adaptation of radiotherapy. The aim of this study was to accelerate and validate deformable registration in MRI-based image-guided radiotherapy of cervical cancer. ...

Objective: To evaluate long-term tumor control and hearing preservation rates in patients with vestibular schwannoma treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT), comparing hearing preservation rates to an untreated control group. The relationship between radiation dose to the cochlea and hearing preservation was also investigated. Methods and Materials: Forty-two patients receiving FSRT between 1997 and 2008 with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were included. All patients received 54 Gy in 27-30 fractions during 5.5-6.0 weeks. Clinical and audiometry data were collected prospectively. From a 'wait-and-scan' group, 409 patients were selected as control subjects, matched by initial audiometric parameters. Radiation dose to the cochlea was measured using the original treatment plan and then related to changes in acoustic parameters. Results: Actuarial 2-, 4-, and 10-year tumor control rates were 100%, 91.5%, and 85.0%, respectively. Twenty-one patients had serviceable hearing before FSRT, 8 of whom (38%) retained serviceable hearing at 2 years after FSRT. No patients retained serviceable hearing after 10 years. At 2 years, hearing preservation rates in the control group were 1.8 times higher compared with the group receiving FSRT (P=.007). Radiation dose to the cochlea was significantly correlated to deterioration of the speech reception threshold (P=.03) but not to discrimination loss. Conclusion: FSRT accelerates the naturally occurring hearing loss in patients with vestibular schwannoma. Our findings, using fractionation of radiotherapy, parallel results using single-dose radiation. The radiation dose to the cochlea is correlated to hearing loss measured as the speech reception threshold.

To evaluate long-term tumor control and hearing preservation rates in patients with vestibular schwannoma treated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT), comparing hearing preservation rates to an untreated control group. The relationship between radiation dose to the cochlea and hear...

The goal of this study was to evaluate acceleratedradiotherapy with and without temozolomide (TMZ) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). This retrospective analysis evaluated 86 patients with histologically proven GBM who were treated with acceleratedradiotherapy of 1.8 Gy twice daily to a total dose of 54 Gy within 3 weeks. Median age was 62 years and median Karnofsky index was 90. A total of 41 patients received radiotherapy only from 2002-2005 and 45 patients were treated with TMZ concomitantly and after radiotherapy from 2005-2007. Median overall survival (OS) was 12.5 months and 2-year OS was 15.4%. Patient characteristics were well balanced between the two groups except for better performance status (p = 0.05) and higher frequency of retreatment for the first recurrence (p = 0.02) in the TMZ group. Age at diagnosis (HR 2.83) and treatment with TMZ (HR 0.60) were correlated with OS in the multivariate analysis: treatment with and without TMZ resulted in median OS of 16 months and 11.3 months, respectively. Hematological toxicity grade > II was observed in 2/45 patients and 5/37 patients during simultaneous radiochemotherapy and adjuvant TMZ. TMZ added to acceleratedradiotherapy for GBM resulted in prolonged overall survival with low rates of severe hematological toxicity. (orig.)

Full Text Available Combretastatin A4 phosphate (CA4P causes rapid disruption of the tumor vasculature and is currently being evaluated for antivascular therapy. We describe the initial results obtained with a noninvasive multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI approach to assess the early effects of CA4P on rat bladder tumors implanted on nude mice. MRI (4.7 T comprised a fast spin-echo sequence for growth curve assessment; a multislice multiecho sequence for T2 measurement before, 15 minutes after, 24 hours after CA4P (100 mg/kg; and a fast T2W* gradient-echo sequence to assess MR signal modification under carbogen breathing before, 35 minutes after, 24 hours after CA4P. The tumor fraction with increased T2W* signal intensity under carbogen (T+ was used to quantify CA4P effect on functional vasculature. CA4P slowed tumor growth over 24 hours and accelerated necrosis development. T+ decrease was observed already at 35 minutes post-CA4P. Early T2 increase was observed in regions becoming necrotic at 24 hours post-CA4P, as confirmed by high T2 and histology. These regions exhibited, under carbogen, a switch from T2W* signal increase before CA4P to a decrease postCA4P. The combination of carbogen-based functional MRI and T2 measurement may be useful for the early follow-up of antivascular therapy without the administration of contrast agents.

This study addressed the potential radiosensitizing effect of nicotinamide and/or carbogen on human glioblastoma xenografts in nude mice. U-87MG and LN-Z308 tumors were irradiated with either 20 fractions over 12 days or 5 fractions over 5 days in air-breathing mice, mice injected with nicotinamide, mice breathing carbogen, or mice receiving nicotinamide plus carbogen. The responses to treatment were assessed using local control and moist desquamation. In U-87MG tumors, the enhancement ratios...

A 7-year-old boy with pituitary dependent Cushing's disease was treated with pituitary irradiation following unsuccessful microadenomectomy. This led to normalization of the hypercortisolaemia, but was followed by GH deficiency. Two years after radiotherapy he had the onset of pubertal development with testicular enlargement to 8 ml bilaterally. Pubertal regression was induced using the long-acting GnRH analogue goserelin. Acceleration of skeletal maturation was also arrested, resulting in improvement of final height prediction. Irradiation directly to the hypothalamo-pituitary region, as well as whole brain irradiation, may thus be associated with accelerated pubertal development. (author).

Full Text Available Purpose. Conservative treatment in the form of limited surgery and post-operative radiotherapy is controversial in hand and foot sarcomas, both due to poor radiation tolerance of the palm and sole, and due to technical difficulties in achieving adequate margins.This paper describes the local control and survival of 41 patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the hand or foot treated with conservative surgery and radiotherapy. The acute and late toxicity of megavoltage radiotherapy to the hand and foot are described. The technical issues and details of treatment delivery are discussed. The factors influencing local control after radiotherapy are analysed.

Purpose: Meningiomas threatening the anterior visual pathways (AVPs) and not amenable for surgery are currently treated with multisession stereotactic radiotherapy. Stereotactic radiotherapy is available with a number of devices. The most ubiquitous include the gamma knife, CyberKnife, tomotherapy, and isocentric linear accelerator systems. The purpose of our study was to describe a case series of AVP meningiomas treated with linear accelerator fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) using the multiple, noncoplanar, dynamic conformal rotation paradigm and to compare the success and complication rates with those reported for other techniques. Patients and Methods: We included all patients with AVP meningiomas followed up at our neuro-ophthalmology unit for a minimum of 12 months after FSRT. We compared the details of the neuro-ophthalmologic examinations and tumor size before and after FSRT and at the end of follow-up. Results: Of 87 patients with AVP meningiomas, 17 had been referred for FSRT. Of the 17 patients, 16 completed >12 months of follow-up (mean 39). Of the 16 patients, 11 had undergone surgery before FSRT and 5 had undergone FSRT as first-line management. Tumor control was achieved in 14 of the 16 patients, with three meningiomas shrinking in size after RT. Two meningiomas progressed, one in an area that was outside the radiation field. The visual function had improved in 6 or stabilized in 8 of the 16 patients (88%) and worsened in 2 (12%). Conclusions: Linear accelerator fractionated RT using the multiple noncoplanar dynamic rotation conformal paradigm can be offered to patients with meningiomas that threaten the anterior visual pathways as an adjunct to surgery or as first-line treatment, with results comparable to those reported for other stereotactic RT techniques.

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in the world, being the most common among women, responsible for 22% of new cases each year. It's surgical and radiation treatment evolved from radical procedures (Halsted radical mastectomy and total external breast radiotherapy) to less radical and more conservative procedures. With the use of modern oncoplastic surgery techniques and accelerated partial breast radiotherapy, selected patients can benefit with better aesthetic results, fewer side effects, and more comfortable and brief treatments. (author)

Full text of publication follows: Purpose.- To analyse the incidence and severity of acute and late normal tissue toxicity and cosmetic outcome using three - dimensional conformal radiotherapy to deliver accelerated partial breast irradiation. Patients and Methods.- 70 patients with stage I disease were treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for accelerated partial breast irradiation, in an approved protocol. The prescribed dose was 34 Gy in all patients delivered in 10 fractions over 5 consecutive days. On all CT scans gross tumor volume (GTV ) was defined around surgical clips. A 1.5 cm margin was added in order to account for clinical target volume (CTV) . A margin of 1 cm was added to CTI to define the planning target volume (PTV). The dose-volume constraints were followed in accordance with the specifications as dictated in the NSABP/RTOG protocol. After treatment, patients underwent a clinical and cosmetic evaluation every 3 months. Late toxicity was evaluated according to the RTOG grading schema. The cosmetic assessment was performed by the physicians using the controlateral untreated breast as the reference (Harvard scale). Results.- Median patient age was 66 years (range 51-80). Median follow-up was 15 months (range 6-46). Tumor size was < 10 mm in 33 patients (53%) and > 2 cm in 4(6%). The mean value of the ratio between the PTV and the whole ipsilateral breast volume was 38 % and the median percentage whole breast volume that received 95 % of prescribed dose was 34% (range 16%-55%). The rate of G1 and G2 acute skin toxicity was 28% and 2% respectively and the late toxicity was 17% (G1). G2 or greater toxicities were not observed. The most pronounced G1 late toxicity was subcutaneous fibrosis, developed in 3 patients. The cosmetic outcome was excellent in 83% and good in 17%. Conclusion.- Accelerated partial breast irradiation using three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is technically feasible with very low acute and late toxicity. Long

Full Text Available Abstract Purpose To investigate the correlation between the expression of Epidermal Growth Factor receptor (EGFr and the reduction of the effective doubling time (TD during radiotherapy treatment and also to determine the dose per fraction to be taken into account when the overall treatment time (OTT is reduced in acceleratedradiotherapy of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC. Methods A survey of the published papers comparing 3-years of local regional control rate (LCR for a total of 2162 patients treated with conventional and acceleratedradiotherapy and with a pretreatment assessment of EGFr expression, was made. Different values of TD were obtained by a model incorporating the overall time corrected biologically effective dose (BED and a 3-year clinical LCR for high and low EGFr groups of patients (HEGFr and LEGFr, respectively. By obtaining the TD from the above analysis and the sub-sites’ potential doubling time (Tpot from flow cytometry and immunohistochemical methods, we were able to estimate the average TD for each sub-site included in the analysis. Moreover, the dose that would be required to offset the modified proliferation occurring in one day (Dprolif, was estimated. Results The averages of TD were 77 (27-9095% days in LEGFr and 8.8 (7.3-11.095% days in HEGFr, if an onset of accelerated proliferation TK at day 21 was assumed. The correspondent HEGFr sub-sites’ TD were 5.9 (6.6, 5.9 (6.6, 4.6 (6.1, 14.3 (12.9 days, with respect to literature immunohistochemical (flow cytometry data of Tpot for Oral-Cavity, Oro-pharynx, Hypo-pharynx, and Larynx respectively. The Dprolif for the HEGFr groups were 0.33 (0.29, 0.33 (0.29, 0.42 (0.31, 0.14 (0.15 Gy/day if α = 0.3 Gy-1 and α/β = 10 Gy were assumed. Conclusions A higher expression of the EGFr leads to enhanced proliferation. This study allowed to quantify the extent of the effect which EGFr expression has in terms of reduced TD and Dprolif for each head and neck

Accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy was performed as treatment for patients with T1 glottic cancer, and its utility was evaluated based on treatment outcomes and adverse effects. Fifty-eight men who had undergone radiotherapy were retrospectively reviewed. Tumor classification was Tis in 4 patients, T1a in 38, and T1b in 16. Histological examination revealed squamous cell carcinoma in 55 patients. Travel time from home to hospital was 0-1 hour for 24 patients, 1-2 hours for 9, and >2 hours for 25. Laser vaporization was performed prior to radiotherapy in 38 patients, and 19 patients received concurrent chemotherapy with an agent such as S-1. Patients were irradiated twice daily using an irradiation container. Most patients received a dose of 1.5 Gy/fraction up to a total of 60 Gy. The median overall treatment time was 30 days, with a median observation period of 59.6 months. A complete response was observed in all patients. The 5-year overall survival, disease-free survival, and local control rates were 97.2%, 93.2%, and 97.8%, respectively. Although grade 3 pharyngeal mucositis was observed in 2 patients, there were no other grade 3 or higher acute adverse events. As late toxicity, grade 2 laryngeal edema and grade 1 laryngeal hemorrhage were observed in 1 patient each, but no serious events such as laryngeal necrosis or laryngeal stenosis were observed. In conclusion, this treatment method brings excellent outcome and will substantially reduce the treatment duration among patients who need to stay at nearby hotels while undergoing treatment at hospitals in rural areas.

High-energy x-ray radiotherapy machines produce neutrons by photonuclear reactions which present a potential radiation hazard to the personnel and patient. A series of measurements of the neutron flux from a 25 MV x-ray linear accelerator, inside and outside the treatment room, have been performed using a multisphere spectrometer, Nemo dosimeter, and activation detectors. These results are compared with other mixed photon-neutron field measurements for the same machine performed using an argon/propane ionization chamber, silicon diode, track-etching detectors, and Monte Carlo calculations. It is found that these measurements agree with each other within a factor of two except for silicon diode measurements in the photon beam. Measured neutron spectra at various locations in the treatment room are also compared with the results of Monte Carlo transport calculations.

Ciervide, Raquel [Department of Radiation Oncology, New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York (United States); Dhage, Shubhada; Guth, Amber; Shapiro, Richard L.; Axelrod, Deborah M.; Roses, Daniel F. [Department of Surgery, New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York (United States); Formenti, Silvia C., E-mail: silvia.formenti@nyumc.org [Department of Radiation Oncology, New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York (United States)

2012-06-01

Background: Accelerated whole-breast radiotherapy (RT) with tumor bed boost in the treatment of early invasive breast cancer has demonstrated equivalent local control and cosmesis when compared with standard RT. Its efficacy in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) remains unknown. Methods and Materials: Patients treated for DCIS with lumpectomy and negative margins were eligible for 2 consecutive hypofractionated whole-breast RT clinical trials. The first trial (New York University [NYU] 01-51) prescribed to the whole breast 42 Gy (2.8 Gy in 15 fractions) and the second trial (NYU 05-181) 40.5 Gy (2.7 Gy in 15 fractions) with an additional daily boost of 0.5 Gy to the surgical cavity. Results: Between 2002 and 2009, 145 DCIS patients accrued, 59 to the first protocol and 86 to the second trial. Median age was 56 years and 65% were postmenopausal at the time of treatment. Based on optimal sparing of normal tissue, 79% of the patients were planned and treated prone and 21% supine. At 5 years' median follow-up (60 months; range 2.6-105.5 months), 6 patients (4.1%) experienced an ipsilateral breast recurrence in all cases of DCIS histology. In 3/6 patients, recurrence occurred at the original site of DCIS and in the remaining 3 cases outside the original tumor bed. New contralateral breast cancers arose in 3 cases (1 DCIS and 2 invasive carcinomas). Cosmetic self-assessment at least 2 years after treatment is available in 125 patients: 91% reported good-to-excellent and 9% reported fair-to-poor outcomes. Conclusions: With a median follow-up of 5 years, the ipsilateral local recurrence rate is 4.1%, comparable to that reported from the NSABP (National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project) trials that employed 50 Gy in 25 fractions of radiotherapy for DCIS. There were no invasive recurrences. These results provide preliminary evidence that accelerated hypofractionated external beam radiotherapy is a viable option for DCIS.

Full Text Available The effects of hyperoxia (induced by host carbogen 95% oxygen/5% carbon dioxide breathing. and hypoxia (induced by host carbon monoxide CO at 660 ppm. breathing were compared by using noninvasive magnetic resonance (MR methods to gain simultaneous information on blood flow/oxygenation and the bioenergetic status of rat Morris H9618a hepatomas. Both carbogen and CO breathing induced a 1.5- to 2-fold increase in signal intensity in blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD MR images. This was due to a decrease in deoxyhemoglobin (deoxyHb, which acts as an endogenous contrast agent, caused either by formation of oxyhemoglobin in the case of carbogen breathing, or carboxyhemoglobin with CO breathing. The results were confirmed by observation of similar changes in deoxyHb in arterial blood samples examined ex vivo after carbogen or CO breathing. There was no change in nucleoside triphosphates (NTP/PI in either tumor or liver after CO breathing, whereas NTP/Pl increased twofold in the hepatoma (but not in the liver after carbogen breathing. No changes in tumor intracellular pH were seen after either treatment, whereas extracellular pH became more alkaline after CO breathing and more acid after carbogen breathing, respectively. This tumor type and the liver are unaffected by CO breathing at 660 ppm, which implies an adequate oxygen supply.

Conclusions: Acceleratedradiotherapy given as six fractions per week is an effective alternative to concomitant chemoradiation in locally advanced carcinoma cervix and has shown lesser toxicities in our study.

The main objective of image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) equipment is to reduce and correct inherent errors in external radiotherapy processes. At the present time, there are different IGRT systems available, but here we will refer exclusively to the kilovoltage cone-beam CT onboard linear accelerator (CBkVCT) and the different aspects that, from a clinical point of view, should be taken into consideration before the implementation of this equipment.

Background: in the therapy of brain metastases there has been a great progress in the last years. It was shown, that more aggressive therapies can not only extend the survival of the patients, but also improve quality of life. The major question of this study was, whether surgery or stereotactic radiotherapy with the linear accelerator show better results in behalf of the survival. Beside this major question many parameters regarding the patient or his primary cancer were examined. Methods: from the 1st of January 1995 until the 30th of June 2000 233 patients with one or more brain metastases have been treated in the Wagner Jauregg Landesnervenkrankenhaus Oberoesterreich (WJ LNKH OeO). The LINAC has been established on the 1st of July 1997. The patients have been distributed in three groups: 1. LINAC-group: 81 patients have been treated from the 1st of July 1997 until the 30th of June 2000 with the LINAC. 2. Surgery-group: 81 patients have been operated from the 1st of July 1997 until the 30th June 2000. 3 Co...

Purpose: To define the maximum tolerated dose of a conformal short-course acceleratedradiotherapy in patients with symptomatic advanced pelvic cancer. Methods and Materials: A phase I trial in 3 dose-escalation steps was designed: 14 Gy (3.5-Gy fractions), 16 Gy (4-Gy fractions), and 18 Gy (4.5-Gy fractions). The eligibility criteria included locally advanced and/or metastatic pelvic cancer and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of {<=}3. Treatment was delivered in 2 days with twice-daily fractionation and at least an 8-hour interval. Patients were treated in cohorts of 6-12 to define the maximum tolerated dose. The dose-limiting toxicity was defined as any acute toxicity of grade 3 or greater, using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scale. Pain was recorded using a visual analog scale. The effect on quality of life was evaluated according to Cancer Linear Analog Scale (CLAS). Results: Of the 27 enrolled patients, 11 were male and 16 were female, with a median age of 72 years (range 47-86). The primary tumor sites were gynecologic (48%), colorectal (33.5%), and genitourinary (18.5%). The most frequent baseline symptoms were bleeding (48%) and pain (33%). Only grade 1-2 acute toxicities were recorded. No patients experienced dose-limiting toxicity. With a median follow-up time of 6 months (range 3-28), no late toxicities were observed. The overall (complete plus partial) symptom remission was 88.9% (95% confidence interval 66.0%-97.8%). Five patients (41.7%) had complete pain relief, and six (50%) showed >30% visual analog scale reduction. The overall response rate for pain was 91.67% (95% confidence interval 52.4%-99.9%). Conclusions: Conformal short course radiotherapy in twice-daily fractions for 2 consecutive days was well tolerated up to a total dose of 18 Gy. A phase II study is ongoing to confirm the efficacy on symptom control and quality of life indexes.

comparisons by an additive ANOVA model showed that carbogen significantly increased CBF by 7.51 + or - 1.62 ml/100 g/min while oxygen tended to reduce it by -3.22 + or - 1.62 ml/100 g/min. A separate analysis of the hemisphere contralateral to the hypoperfused hemisphere showed that carbogen significantly...... and Sa(O2) are readily obtained with carbogen, while oxygen increases only Sa(O2). Thus, carbogen improves oxygen transport to brain tissue more efficiently than oxygen alone. Further studies with more subjects are, however, needed to investigate the applicability of carbogen for long-term inhalation...

We propose the design of a new custom made material, to be used as a tissue substitute in external beam electron radiotherapy, based on cotton fabric and beeswax. Due to its inexpensive, easy preparation, constant thickness, flexibility, uniform density and physical properties similar to those of soft tissue, this bolus will insure personalized optimal dose build up and dose distribution in irregular treatment regions. Materials and Methods: We used commercial Campeche beeswax and 100% cotton fabric to prepare the bolus. Beeswax's physical characteristics were determined by thermal and density analysis. Its chemical properties are to be determined by electronic microcopy. We performed quality control tests and calibration of the Varian 2100C linear accelerator. The tissue equivalence of the material is established for a range of electron energies (6, 9, 12, 16, 20 MeV) using a water equivalent solid phantom (PTW; Freiburg, Germany) and a plane parallel ionization chamber (PTW) associated to a PTW electrometer. Results: Beeswax's absolute density was found to be 0.9181g/ml at 21°C, with a melting point of 45°C. For the bolus elaboration, the cotton fabric was soaked in liquid beeswax and thin sheets of approximately 1 mm were obtained. These presented high flexibility, physical stability (color, texture, thickness) and homogeneity. Determination of this dosimetric characteristics and equivalent thickness are still in process. Discussion and conclusions: Our preliminary results suggest that the tissue substitute is easily made, inexpensive to produce, molds well to the treatment area and its positioning is easy and reproducible over the course of the treatment. So we consider that it's a good alternative to the commercial bolus.

The purpose of this study is to characterize and understand the long-term behavior of the output from megavoltage radiotherapy linear accelerators. Output trends of nine beams from three linear accelerators over a period of more than three years are reported and analyzed. Output, taken during daily warm-up, forms the basis of this study. The output is measured using devices having ion chambers. These are not calibrated by accredited dosimetry laboratory, but are baseline-compared against monthly output which is measured using calibrated ion chambers. We consider the output from the daily check devices as it is, and sometimes normalized it by the actual output measured during the monthly calibration of the linacs. The data show noisy quasi-periodic behavior. The output variation, if normalized by monthly measured "real' output, is bounded between ± 3%. Beams of different energies from the same linac are correlated with a correlation coefficient as high as 0.97, for one particular linac, and as low as 0.44 for another. These maximum and minimum correlations drop to 0.78 and 0.25 when daily output is normalized by the monthly measurements. These results suggest that the origin of these correlations is both the linacs and the daily output check devices. Beams from different linacs, independent of their energies, have lower correlation coefficient, with a maximum of about 0.50 and a minimum of almost zero. The maximum correlation drops to almost zero if the output is normalized by the monthly measured output. Some scatter plots of pairs of beam output from the same linac show band-like structures. These structures are blurred when the output is normalized by the monthly calibrated output. Fourier decomposition of the quasi-periodic output is consistent with a 1/f power law. The output variation appears to come from a distorted normal distribution with a mean of slightly greater than unity. The quasi-periodic behavior is manifested in the seasonally averaged output

A range of high specific activity accelerator-produced radionuclides in no-carrier-added (NCA) form, for uses in metabolic radiotherapy and for PET, has been investigated. To this aim it was necessary optimizing the irradiation parameters by determining the excitation functions of the nuclear reactions involved, as needed for the following selective radiochemical separations of the radionuclides of interest. For the NCA radionuclides investigated, the spectrometry measurements, done at LASA-INFN on {gamma}, X and on {alpha} spectra are discussed together with the measurements of radionuclidic, radiochemical and chemical purities by analytical and radioanalytical techniques.

Full Text Available Stereotactic Ablative Body Radiotherapy (SABR is a newer method of ultra hypo fractionated radiotherapy that uses combination of image guided radiotherapy (IGRT and intensity modulated radiotherapy(IMRT or volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT, to deliver high doses of radiation in a few fractions to a target, at the same time sparing the surrounding organs at risk(OAR.SABR is ideal for treating small volumes of disease and has been introduced in a number of disease sites including brain, lung, liver, spine and prostate. Given the radiobiological advantages of treating prostate cancer with high doses per fraction, SABR is becoming a standard of care for low and intermediate risk prostate cancer patients based upon the results from Sunny Brook and also the US-based prostate SABR consortium. This review examines the development of moderate and ultra hypo fractionation schedules at the Odette Cancer centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences. Moderate hypo fractionation protocol was first developed in 2001 for intermediate risk prostate cancer and from there on different treatment schedules including SABR evolved for all risk groups.

Targeted radiotherapy is an emerging discipline of cancer therapy that exploits the biochemical differences between normal cells and cancer cells to selectively deliver a lethal dose of radiation to cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells relatively unperturbed. A broad overview of targeted alpha therapy including isotope production methods, and associated isotope production facility needs, will be provided. A more general overview of the US Department of Energy Isotope Program's Tri-Lab (ORNL, BNL, LANL) Research Effort to Provide Accelerator-Produced 225Ac for Radiotherapy will also be presented focusing on the accelerator-production of 225Ac and final product isolation methodologies for medical applications.

Full Text Available Background: Concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT is currently considered to be the standard of care in locally advanced head and neck cancer. The optimum radiotherapy schedule for best local control and acceptable toxicity is not yet clear. We aimed at shortening of treatment time by using accelerated radiation, thereby comparing the disease response, loco-regional tumor control and tolerability of accelerated radiation (six fractions per week against CCRT in locally advanced head and neck cancer. Materials and Methods: We conducted the prospective randomized study for a period of 2 years from June 2011 to May 2013 in 133 untreated patients of histologically confirmed squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck. Study group (66 patients received acceleratedradiotherapy with 6 fractions per week (66Gy/33#/5½ weeks. Control group (67 patients received CCRT with 5 fractions per week radiation (66 Gy/33#/6½ weeks along with intravenous cisplatin 30 mg/m 2 weekly. Tumor control, survival, acute and late toxicities were assessed. Results: Median overall treatment time was 38 days and 45 days in the acceleratedradiotherapy and concurrent chemoradiation arm, respectively. At a median follow up of 12 months, 41 patients (62.1% in the acceleratedradiotherapy arm and 47 patients (70.1% in the CCRT arm were disease free (P = 0.402. Local disease control was comparable in both the arms. Acute toxicities were significantly higher in the CCRT arm as compared with acceleratedradiotherapy arm. There was no difference in late toxicities between the two arms. Conclusion: We can achieve, same or near to the same local control, with lower toxicities with accelerated six fractions per week radiation compared with CCRT especially for Indian population.

Rapid technological improvements in radiotherapy delivery results in improved outcomes to patients, yet current commercial systems with these technologies on board are costly. The aim of this study was to develop a state-of-the-art cancer radiotherapy system that is economical and space efficient fitting with current world demands. The Nano-X system is a compact design that is light weight combining a patient rotation system with a vertical 6 MV fixed beam. In this paper, we present the Nano-X system design configuration, an estimate of the system dimensions and its potential impact on shielding cost reductions. We provide an assessment of implementing such a radiotherapy system clinically, its advantages and disadvantages compared to a compact conventional gantry rotating linac. The Nano-X system has several differentiating features from current radiotherapy systems, it is [1] compact and therefore can fit into small vaults, [2] light weight, and [3] engineering efficient, i.e., it rotates a relatively light component and the main treatment delivery components are not under rotation (e.g., DMLCs). All these features can have an impact on reducing the costs of the system. In terms of shielding requirements, leakage radiation was found to be the dominant contributor to the Nano-X vault and as such no primary shielding was necessary. For a low leakage design, the Nano-X vault footprint and concrete volume required is 17 m2 and 35 m3 respectively, compared to 54 m2 and 102 m3 for a conventional compact linac vault, resulting in decreased costs in shielding. Key issues to be investigated in future work are the possible patient comfort concerns associated with the patient rotation system, as well as the magnitude of deformation and subsequent adaptation requirements.

Three oxygen-sensitive parameters (arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation SaO2, tumor vascular oxygenated hemoglobin concentration [HbO2], and tumor oxygen tension pO2) were measured simultaneously by three different optical techniques (pulse oximeter, near infrared spectroscopy, and FOXY) to evaluate dynamic responses of breast tumors to carbogen (5% CO2 and 95% O2) intervention. All three parameters displayed similar trends in dynamic response to carbogen challenge, but with different response times. These response times were quantified by the time constants of the exponential fitting curves, revealing the immediate and the fastest response from the arterial SaO2, followed by changes in global tumor vascular [HbO2], and delayed responses for pO2. The consistency of the three oxygen-sensitive parameters demonstrated the ability of NIRS to monitor therapeutic interventions for rat breast tumors in-vivo in real time.

Full Text Available The effect of hyperoxygenation with carbogen (95% O 2 + 5% CO 2 and 100% oxygen inhalation on partial pressure of oxygen (pO 2 of radiation-induced fibrosarcoma (RIF-1 tumor was investigated. RIF-1 tumors were innoculated in C3H mice, and aggregates of oximetry probe, lithium phthalocyanine (LiPc, was implanted in each tumor. A baseline tumor pO 2 was measured by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR oximetry for 20 minutes in anesthetized mice breathing 30% O 2 and then the gas was switched to carbogen or 100 % oxygen for 60 minutes. These experiments were repeated for 10 days. RIF-1 tumors were hypoxic with a baseline tissue pO 2 of 6.2-8.3 mmHg in mice breathing 30% O 2 . Carbogen and 100% oxygen significantly increased tumor pO 2 on days 1 to 5, with a maximal increase at approximately 32-45 minutes on each day. However, the extent of increase in pO 2 from the baseline declined significantly on day 5 and day 10. The results provide quantitative information on the effect of hyperoxic gas inhalation on tumor pO 2 over the course of 10 days. EPR oximetry can be effectively used to repeatedly monitor tumor pO 2 and test hyperoxic methods for potential clinical applications.

As advanced radiotherapy approaches for targeting the tumor and sparing the normal tissues have been developed, the image guidance of therapy has become essential to directing and confirming treatment accuracy. To approach these goals, image guidance devices now include kV on-board imagers, kV/MV cone-beam CT systems, CT-on-rails, and mobile and in-room radiographic/fluoroscopic systems. Nonionizing sources, such as ultrasound and optical systems, and electromagnetic devices have been introduced to monitor or track the patient and/or tumor positions during treatment. In addition, devices have been designed specifically for monitoring and/or controlling respiratory motion. Optimally, image-guided radiation therapy systems should possess 3 essential elements: (1) 3D imaging of soft tissues and tumors, (2) efficient acquisition and comparison of the 3D images, and (3) an efficacious process for clinically meaningful intervention. Understanding and using these tools effectively is central to current radiotherapy practice. The implementation and integration of these devices continue to carry practical challenges, which emphasize the need for further development of the technologies and their clinical applications.

The aim of this paper is to present the experience on intraoperative radiotherapy, which has as the reference center the network of radiotherapy in Chile. It is detailed the construction of a system of applicators with an easy coupling on a linear accelerator collimator. It is also detailed the cost and the measurements set up with their corresponding percentage depth dose and isodose curves. This technique was implemented in a Varian Clinac 21EX for beams with 6, 9 and 12 MeV electron energy. The coupling system provides a good dose distribution both laterally and in depth for different energies. This provides a good coverage of treatment planning volume. (author)

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of mitomycin C to an accelerated hyperfractionated radiation therapy. The aim was to test a very short schedule with/without mitomycin C (MMC) with conventional fractionation in histologically verified squamous cell carinoma of the head and neck region. Methods and Ma

Between June 1997 and February 1998, 21 patients suffering from uveal melanomas have been treated with a sterotactic 6 MeV LINAC (Saturne 43 {sup trademark}, General Electric, France) in conjunction with a stereotactic frame system (BrainLAB {sup trademark}, Germany). Immobilization of the eye was ensured with an optical fixation system which was proven reliable. During radiotherapy, movements of the irradiated eye were controlled on a monitor and documented by video recording. All patients co-operated very well with the optical fixation system. In 1164 measurements, the median value of horizontal deviation of the diseased eye during treatment was 0.3 mm (range: 0 to 1.3 mm). Median vertical deviation was 0.2 mm (range: 0 to 1.2 mm). For all patients, mean tumor prominence before treatment was 6.0{+-}2.2 mm. In 20 patients, the total dose of 70 Gy (at 80%) was delivered in 5 fractions within 10 days. In one patient with a ciliary body tumor, the total dose of 70 Gy was divided into 7 fractions for better sparing of the anterior eye segment. Results: After a follow-up of at least 6 months, local tumor control was seen in all eyes. Mean tumor thickness reduction after 3, 6 and 9 months was 7%, 13% and 31%, respectively. Up to now, only mild subacute side-effects located in the anterior eye segment have been noticed. (orig.)

Accelerated partial breast irradiation using 3D-C.R.T. is technically sophisticate but feasible and acute toxicity to date has been minimal. A C.T.V.-to-P.T.V. margin of 10 mm seems to provide coverage for analyzed patients. However, more patients and additional studies will be needed to validate the accuracy of this margin, and longer follow-up will be needed to assess acute and chronic toxicity, tumor control, and cosmetic results. (author)

In patients suffering from locally advanced, unresectable squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the base of the tongue, the floor of the mouth, the mobile part of the tongue, the tonsils, the hypopharynx and the larynx radiotherapy yields poor results, due to local failure rather than to distant metastases. Since toxicity of radiotherapy and cytotoxic chemotherapy do not overlap entirely efforts were made to achieve better results combining these two treatment modalities. Clinical trials on simultaneous radiotherapy/chemotherapy focussed on two cytotoxic agents: Cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(II) (cis-DDP) and 5-flourouracil (5-FU). Another approach to overcome the radioresistance of large SCC adopts accelerated fractionation. The potential tumor doubling time of sqamous cell carcinomas is about four days, and thus repopulation of surviving clonogenic tumor cells during fractionated radiotherapy may be the cause of poor treatment results. In this pilot study a twice daily fractionated split-course radiotherapy is combined with simultaneous administration of cis-DDP and 5-FU with folinic acid (FA) enhancement.

To present the feasibility and results of acceleratedradiotherapy with concomitant boost technique (69.5 Gy/5 weeks) in the treatment of locally advanced head and neck cancer. A total of 65 patients were treated between June 2006 and August 2009. The distribution of clinical stages was as follows: II 11%, III 23%, IV 61%, and not defined 5%. The median follow-up was 30.5 months. The treatment plan was completed in 94% of patients. Patients were treated using the conformal or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) technique. The median overall treatment time was 37 days (13-45 days). The mean radiotherapy dose was 68.4 Gy (16-74 Gy). Overall survival was 69% after 2 years. Disease-free survival was 62% after 2 years. Acute toxicity {>=} grade 3(RTOG scale) included mucositis (grade 3: 42.6%), pharynx (grade 3: 42.3%), skin (grade 3: 9.5%), larynx (grade 3: 4%), while late toxicity affected skin (grade 3: 6.25%) and salivary glands (grade 3: 3.7%). Acceleratedradiotherapy with concomitant boost technique is feasible in patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer, has an acceptable toxicity profile, and yields promising treatment results.

In an effort to develop effictive combination treatments for use with radiation against solid tumors, the cytotoxic effects of the addition of mitomycin C or porfiromycin on treatment with Fluosol-DA/carbogen breathing and radiation in the FSaIIC tumor system were studied. In vitro mitomycin C and porfiromycin were both preferentially cytotoxic toward hypoxic FSaIIC cells. After in vivo exposure, however, the cytotoxicity of mitomycin C toward single cell tumor suspensions obtained from whole tumors was exponential over the dose range studied, but for porfiromycin a plateau in cell killing was observed. With Fluosol-DA/carbogen breathing and single dose radiaiton, addition of either mitomycin C or porfiromycin increased the tumor cell kill achieved at 5 Gy by approximately 1.2 and 1.0 logs, respectively. Less effect was seen with addition of the drugs at the 10 and 15 Gy radiation doses. In tumor growth delay experiments, the addition of either mitomycin C or porfiromycin to Fluosol-DA/carbogen breathing and radiation resulted in primarily an additive increase in tumor growth delay. The survival of Hoechst 33342 dye-selected tumor cell subpopulations indicated that Fluosol-DA/carbogen breathing increased the cytotoxicity of radiation (10 Gy) more in the bright cell subpopulation (4-fold) than in the dim cell subpopulation (2-fold) resulting in an overall 4-fold sparing of the dim subpopulation. Mitomycin C and porfiromycin were both more toxic toward the dim cell subpopulations. Addition of mitomycin C or porfiromycin to Fluosol-DA/carbogen breathing and radiation (10 Gy) resulted in a primarily additive effect of the drugs and radiation killing in both tumor cell subpopulations. Thus, with mitomycin C/Fluosol-DA/carbogen and radiation there was a 2-fold sparing of dim cells and with profiromycin in the combined treatment a 1.6-fold sparing of the dim cell population. (Abstract Truncated)

The current standard therapeutic option for early stage breast cancer (EBC) employs a multimodality treatment approach including conservative surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. The most common adjuvant radiotherapeutic strategy consists of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) delivered to the whole breast using 1.8-2 Gy fractions given five times a week, up to a total dose of 45-50 Gy over a period of 5 weeks. In recent years, altered schedules employing larger dose per fraction delivered in fewer treatment sessions over a shorter overall treatment time began to be explored. We herein present clinical data on accelerated hypofractionated adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy delivered on a daily basis for a total treatment time of 20 fractions. Between February 2005 and June 2009, a total of 463 patients underwent hypofractionated accelerated adjuvant radiation after conservative surgery for early breast cancer (pathological stage pTis, pT1 or pT2, pN0-N1). The basic course of radiotherapy consisted of 45 Gy, to the whole breast in 20 fractions with 2.25 Gy/fraction; an additional daily boost dose of 0.25 Gy was concomitantly delivered, to the lumpectomy cavity, for an additional total dose of 5 Gy. The cumulative nominal dose was 50 Gy. At follow-up, patients were examined at 3 and 6 months after the end of radiotherapy and twice a year afterward. Toxicity was scored according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group /European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer toxicity scale. Cosmetic results were assessed in agreement with the Harvard criteria. All the 463 patients treated with the accelerated hypofractionated adjuvant whole-breast radiotherapy schedule achieved at least 6 months' follow-up and subsequently were considered for the present analysis. With a median follow-up of 27 months, 5-year DFS is 93.1%. Only three patients experienced disease recurrence: two of them

In Radiotherapy one of the objectives is to establish and to give follow up to quality assurance programs which make sure that the doses administered to the patients with cancer are a high probability of a success in external radiation. Likewise, one of the present preoccupations of the United Nations Agencies as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Pan-American Health Organization is the optimal employment of the radiations in the treatment of cancer patients since the administered dose in Radiotherapy suffers considerable variations by the lack of quality assurance programs. The use of Electron linear accelerators requires a program of quality assurance that includes expert personnel, equipment and adequate facilities. The more used methodology for the dosimetry calibration and characterization of X-ray beams and high energy electrons for radiotherapy use is using a ionization chamber dosemeter calibrated in a regional secondary standardization laboratory. However, to establish and give follow up to the quality assurance programs it is necessary the dosimetric intercomparison through TLD. In this study it was designed plastic phantoms with TLD crystals and it was made its characterization to realize an absorbed dose analysis in the crystals exposed at X-ray beams 6 MV and high energy electrons 10 and 12 MeV to standardize the dosimetric procedures and proceeding to realize an International Pilot intercomparison of absorbed doses in TLD crystals in three Latin American countries: Mexico, Peru and Colombia with the participation of accelerators of five different institutions. The found results show that the majority of the measured doses with TLD in the different accelerators were in the 0.95-1.05 range though it had two cases outside of this range. The use of the phantoms with TLD crystals shows that they are of excellent aid to make analysis of the doses administered to the patients and an intercomparison of results to standardize procedures at

Currently, in Radiotherapy, the use of linear accelerators is becoming each time more common. From Radiation Protection point of view, these instruments represent an advance in relation to the cobalt and caesium irradiators, mainly due to absence of the radioactive material. On the other hand, accelerators with the energies superior to 10 MeV produce contamination of the therapeutic beam with the presence of neutrons generated in the interaction of high-energy photons with high atomic number materials from the own irradiator. The present work carries through measurements in a linear accelerator of 15 MeV using three neutron area monitors for a comparison of the response of these instruments, evaluating its adequacy to this measurement. Characteristics of use and operation associates to parameters such as: monitor dead time, monitor gamma rejection, and calibration results are also analyzed in this study. (author)

demonstrated in the randomised DAHANCA 6&7 trial. We aimed to assess the influence of tumour HPV-status, expressed by p16, on the response to accelerated fractionated radiotherapy in HNSCC through evaluation of the DAHANCA 6&7 trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical detection of HPV-associated p16......-expression was performed on FFPE-pre-treatment tumour-tissues from 794 patients enrolled in the DAHANCA 6&7 trial. The influence of tumour p16-status on loco-regional tumour control and survival as a function of fractionation schedule (5Fx/week vs 6Fx/week) was evaluated 5years after the completion...... of radiotherapy. RESULTS: The significant and independent prognostic value of tumour p16-positivity in HNSCC radiotherapy was confirmed, with adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 0.58 [0.43-0.78], 0.47 [0.33-0.67] and 0.54 [0.42-0.68] for loco-regional control, disease-specific and overall survival, respectively...

demonstrated in the randomised DAHANCA 6&7 trial. We aimed to assess the influence of tumour HPV-status, expressed by p16, on the response to accelerated fractionated radiotherapy in HNSCC through evaluation of the DAHANCA 6&7 trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical detection of HPV-associated p16......-expression was performed on FFPE-pre-treatment tumour-tissues from 794 patients enrolled in the DAHANCA 6&7 trial. The influence of tumour p16-status on loco-regional tumour control and survival as a function of fractionation schedule (5Fx/week vs 6Fx/week) was evaluated 5years after the completion...... of radiotherapy. RESULTS: The significant and independent prognostic value of tumour p16-positivity in HNSCC radiotherapy was confirmed, with adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 0.58 [0.43-0.78], 0.47 [0.33-0.67] and 0.54 [0.42-0.68] for loco-regional control, disease-specific and overall survival, respectively...

We are developing a four-dimensional image-guided radiotherapy system with a gimbaled x-ray head. It is capable of pursuing irradiation and delivering irradiation precisely with the help of an agile moving x-ray head on the gimbals. Requirements for the accelerator guide were established, system design was developed, and detailed design was conducted. An accelerator guide was manufactured and basic beam performance and leakage radiation from the accelerator guide were evaluated at a low pulse repetition rate. The accelerator guide including the electron gun is 38 cm long and weighs about 10 kg. The length of the accelerating structure is 24.4 cm. The accelerating structure is a standing wave type and is composed of the axial-coupled injector section and the side-coupled acceleration cavity section. The injector section is composed of one prebuncher cavity, one buncher cavity, one side-coupled half cavity, and two axial coupling cavities. The acceleration cavity section is composed of eight side-coupled nose reentrant cavities and eight coupling cavities. The electron gun is a diode-type gun with a cerium hexaboride (CeB6) direct heating cathode. The accelerator guide can be operated without any magnetic focusing device. Output beam current was 75 mA with a transmission efficiency of 58%, and the average energy was 5.24 MeV. Beam energy was distributed from 4.95 to 5.6 MeV. The beam profile, measured 88 mm from the beam output hole on the axis of the accelerator guide, was 0.7 mm X 0.9 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) width. The beam loading line was 5.925 (MeV)-Ib (mA) X 0.00808 (MeV/mA), where Ib is output beam current. The maximum radiation leakage of the accelerator guide at 100 cm from the axis of the accelerator guide was calculated as 0.33 cGy/min at the rated x-ray output of 500 cGy/min from the measured value. This leakage requires no radiation shielding for the accelerator guide itself per IEC 60601-2-1.

The introductory chapter of this monograph, which follows this Preface, provides an overview of radiotherapy and treatment planning. The main chapters that follow describe in detail three significant aspects of radiotherapy on which the author has focused her research efforts. Chapter 2 presents studies the author worked on at the German National Cancer Institute (DKFZ) in Heidelberg. These studies applied the Monte Carlo technique to investigate the feasibility of performing Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) by scanning with a narrow photon beam. This approach represents an alternative to techniques that generate beam modulation by absorption, such as MLC, individually-manufactured compensators, and special tomotherapy modulators. The technical realization of this concept required investigation of the influence of various design parameters on the final small photon beam. The photon beam to be scanned should have a diameter of approximately 5 mm at Source Surface Distance (SSD) distance, and the penumbr...

to the repopulation taking place during radiotherapy. The aim of the current study was to address the influence of EGFr and histopathological differentiation when the overall treatment time of radiotherapy was moderately reduced. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eight hundred and three patients with representative pretreatment...... tissue samples from the randomized DAHANCA 6 and 7 study of 5 vs. 6 fx/wk of radiotherapy. EGFr was visualized using immunohistochemistry and separated into high and low expression before correlation with clinical data. RESULTS: Tumors with high EGFr (84%) responded better to moderately accelerated...... radiotherapy, than carcinomas with low EGFr, using locoregional control as endpoint and a similar pattern was seen, stratifying by well/moderate vs. poor tumor differentiation. Therefore, a combined parameter was constructed showing a more prominent separation of response: tumors with high EGFr and well/moderate...

Full Text Available An Image-Guided Radiotherapy-capable linear accelerator (Elekta Synergy was installed at our hospital, which is equipped with a kV x-ray volume imaging (XVI system and electronic portal imaging device (iViewGT. The objective of this presentation is to describe the results of commissioning measurements carried out on the XVI facility to verify the manufacturer′s specifications and also to evolve a QA schedule which can be used to test its performance routinely. The QA program consists of a series of tests (safety features, geometric accuracy, and image quality. These tests were found to be useful to assess the performance of the XVI system and also proved that XVI system is very suitable for image-guided high-precision radiation therapy.

An experimental procedure was developed, by means of Bonner spheres, to measure the neutrons spectrum around Linacs of medical use that only requires of a single shot of the accelerator; to this procedure we denominate Planetary or Isocentric method. One of the problems associated to the neutrons spectrum measurement in a radiotherapy room with lineal accelerator is because inside the room a mixed, intense and pulsed radiation field takes place affecting the detection systems based on active detector; this situation is solved using a passive detector. In the case of the Bonner spheres spectrometer the active detector has been substituted by activation detectors, trace detectors or thermoluminescent dosimeters. This spectrometer uses several spheres that are situated one at a time in the measurement point, this way to have the complete measurements group the accelerator should be operated, under the same conditions, so many times like spheres have the spectrometer, this activity can consume a long time and in occasions due to the work load of Linac to complicate the measurement process too. The procedure developed in this work consisted on to situate all the spectrometer spheres at the same time and to make the reading by means of a single shot, to be able to apply this procedure, is necessary that before the measurements two characteristics are evaluated: the cross-talking of the spheres and the symmetry conditions of the neutron field. This method has been applied to determine the photo-neutrons spectrum produced by a lineal accelerator of medical use Varian ix of 15 MV to 100 cm of the isocenter located to 5 cm of depth of a solid water mannequin of 30 x 30 x 15 cm. The spectrum was used to determine the total flow and the environmental dose equivalent. (Author)

Has been defined the status initial reference of the lineal mini-accelerator Intrabeam PRS 500. The alternative worksheet in times of treatment provides an additional verification. The system is validated for clinical use. (Author)

PURPOSE: Tumor hyperoxygenation results in high response rates to ARCON (acceleratedradiotherapy with carbogen and nicotinamide). The effect of hyperoxygenation on tumor metabolism using [(18)F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) was investigated. METHODS: Within one week, F

By means of a series of measures and Monte Carlo calculations the dosimetric characteristics of the photoneutrons have been determined that take place in volume to a linear accelerator of radiotherapy of 18 MV, LINAC, mark Siemens Mevatron model. The measures were carried out with thermoluminescent dosemeters TLD 600 and TLD 700 that were naked exposed and confined with cover of Cd and Sn, inside a sphere of paraffin and inside spheres Bonner. (Author)

During the radiation survey of a reinstalled 10-MV linear accelerator in an old radiation treatment facility, high dose rates of neutrons were observed. The area outside the maze entrance is used as a waiting room where patients, their relatives and staff other than those involved in the actual treatment can freely pass. High fluence rates of neutrons would cause an unnecessary high effective dose to the staff working in the vicinity of such a system, and it can be several orders higher than the doses received due to X-rays at the same location. However, the common knowledge appears to have been that the effect of neutrons at 10-MV X-ray linear accelerator facilities is negligible and shielding calculations models seldom mention neutrons for this operating energy level. Although data are scarce, reports regarding this phenomenon are now emerging. For the future, it is advocated that contributions from neutrons are considered already during the planning stage of new or modified facilities aimed for 10 MV and that estimated dose levels are verified.

Purpose: For the first time in the world, BrainLAB has integrated its iPlan treatment planning system for clinical use with Elekta linear accelerator (Axesse with a Beam Modulator). The purpose of this study was to compare the calculated and measured doses with different chambers to establish the calculation accuracy of iPlan system. Methods: The iPlan has both Pencil beam (PB) and Monte Carlo (MC) calculation algorithms. Beam data include depth doses, profiles and output measurements for different field sizes. Collected data was verified by vendor and beam modelling was done. Further QA tests were carried out in our clinic. Dose calculation accuracy verified point, volumetric dose measurement using ion chambers of different volumes (0.01cc and 0.125cc). Planner dose verification was done using diode array. Plans were generated in iPlan and irradiated in Elekta Axesse linear accelerator. Results: Dose calculation accuracies verified using ion chamber for 6 and 10 MV beam were 3.5+/-0.33(PB), 1.7%+/-0.7(MC) and 3.9%+/-0.6(PB), 3.4%+/-0.6(MC) respectively. Using a pin point chamber, dose calculation accuracy for 6MV and 10MV was 3.8%+/-0.06(PB), 1.21%+/-0.2(MC) and 4.2%+/-0.6(PB), 3.1%+/-0.7(MC) respectively. The calculated planar dose distribution for 10.4×10.4 cm2 was verified using a diode array and the gamma analysis for 2%-2mm criteria yielded pass rates of 88 %(PB) and 98.8%(MC) respectively. 3mm-3% yields 100% passing for both MC and PB algorithm. Conclusion: Dose calculation accuracy was found to be within acceptable limits for MC for 6MV beam. PB for both beams and MC for 10 MV beam were found to be outside acceptable limits. The output measurements were done twice for conformation. The lower gamma matching was attributed to meager number of measured profiles (only two profiles for PB) and coarse measurement resolution for diagonal profile measurement (5mm). Based on these measurements we concluded that 6 MV MC algorithm is suitable for patient treatment.

The measured dose in water at reference point in phantom is a primary parameter for planning the treatment monitor units (MU); both in conventional and intensity modulated/image guided treatments. Traceability of dose accuracy therefore still depends mainly on the calibration factor of the ion chamber/dosimeter provided by the accredited Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratories (SSDLs), under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) network of laboratories. The data related to Nd,water calibrations, thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) postal dose validation, inter-comparison of different dosimeter/electrometers, and validity of Nd,water calibrations obtained from different calibration laboratories were analyzed to find out the extent of accuracy achievable. Nd,w factors in Gray/Coulomb calibrated at IBA, GmBH, Germany showed a mean variation of about 0.2% increase per year in three Farmer chambers, in three subsequent calibrations. Another ion chamber calibrated in different accredited laboratory (PTW, Germany) showed consistent Nd,w for 9 years period. The Strontium-90 beta check source response indicated long-term stability of the ion chambers within 1% for three chambers. Results of IAEA postal TL "dose intercomparison" for three photon beams, 6 MV (two) and 15 MV (one), agreed well within our reported doses, with mean deviation of 0.03% (SD 0.87%) (n = 9). All the chamber/electrometer calibrated by a single SSDL realized absorbed doses in water within 0.13% standard deviations. However, about 1-2% differences in absorbed dose estimates observed when dosimeters calibrated from different calibration laboratories are compared in solid phantoms. Our data therefore imply that the dosimetry level maintained for clinical use of linear accelerator photon beams are within recommended levels of accuracy, and uncertainties are within reported values.

Full Text Available Context: Accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI using various approaches is being increasingly employed for selected women with early breast cancer (EBC. Aims: To conduct a case-control study comparing disease control, cosmesis, and complications in patients with EBC undergoing APBI using multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy vs those receiving conventional whole breast radiotherapy (WBRT. Settings and Design: Women with EBC fulfilling the American Brachytherapy Society (ABS criteria were selected as ′cases′ if treated with APBI or as ′controls′ if offered WBRT during the period from May 2000 to December 2004. Materials and Methods: APBI patients were treated with high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR to a dose of 34 Gy/10#/6-8 days. WBRT was delivered to the whole breast to a dose of 45 Gy/25# followed by tumor bed boost, either with electrons (15 Gy/6# or interstitial brachytherapy (HDR 10 Gy/1#. Results: At the median follow-up of 43.05 months in APBI and 51.08 months in WBRT there was no difference in overall survival (OS, disease-free survival (DFS, late arm edema, and symptomatic fat necrosis between the two groups. However, APBI resulted in increase in mild breast fibrosis at the tumor bed. Telangiectasias were observed in three patients of the APBI group. The cosmetic outcome was significantly better in the APBI group as compared to the WBRT group (P = 0.003. Conclusions: This study revealed equivalent locoregional and distant disease control in the two groups. APBI offered better overall cosmetic outcome, though at the cost of a slight increase in mild breast fibrosis and telangiectasias.

Tumour cell proliferation during conventionally fractionated radiotherapy (RT) can negatively influence the treatment outcome in patients with unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Accelerated and hyperfractionated RT may therefore have an advantage over conventional RT. Moreover, earlier studies have suggested improved survival with addition of cisplatin-based chemotherapy (CT). We present here the results of combined treatment with induction and concomitant CT and accelerated hyperfractionated RT in a retrospective series of patients with advanced NSCLS. Between August 1990 and August 1995, 90 consecutive patients, aged 42-77 years (median 63 years), with locally advanced unresectable or medically inoperable NSCLC and good performance status were referred for treatment: stage: I 23%, IIIa 37%, IIIb 40%. Patient histologies included: squamous cell carcinoma 52%, adenocarcinoma 34% and large cell carcinoma 13%. The treatment consisted of two courses of CT (cisplatin 100 mg/m{sup 2} day 1 and etoposide 100 mg/m{sup 2} day 1-3 i.v.), the second course given concomitantly with RT. The total RT dose was 61.2-64.6 Gy, with two daily fractions of 1.7 Gy. A one-week interval was introduced after 40.8 Gy to reduce acute toxicity, making the total treatment time 4.5 weeks. Concerning toxicity, 33 patients had febrile neutropenia, 10 patients suffered from grade III oesophagitis and 7 patients had grade III pneumonitis. There were two possible treatment-related deaths, one due to myocardial infarction and the other due to a pneumocystis carinii infection. The 1-, 2- and 3-year overall survival rates were 72%, 46% and 34%, respectively; median survival was 21.3 months. Fifty-nine patients had progressive disease: 21 failed locoregionally, 29 had distant metastases and 9 patients had a combination of these. Pretreatment weight loss was the only prognostic factor found, except for stage. However, the results for stage IIIb were no different from those for stage IIIa

The prognosis of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) can be improved by a combination of radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT). In this study, the GOTHA group evaluated the feasibility, tolerance, tumour response, pattern of failure and effect on survival of a combination alternating accelerated hyperfractionated (AH) RT and CT in patients with tumour stage III NSCLC. Toxic effects were leucopenia, nausea and vomiting, mucositis, diarrhoea, alopecia and peripheral neuropathy. Alternating CT and AHRT, as used in this study, were well tolerated and allowed full dose delivery within less than 12 weeks. Initial response was not predictive of survival. The survival curve is encouraging and the 5 year survival is superior to the 5% generally observed with conventionally fractionated radiotherapy. (author).

Full Text Available Implementation of step-and-shoot intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT needs careful understanding of the accelerator start-up characteristic to ensure accurate and precise delivery of radiation dose to patient. The dosimetric characteristic of a Siemens Primus linear accelerator (LA which delivers 6 and 18 MV x-rays at the dose rate of 300 and 500 monitor unit (MU per minutes (min respectively was studied under the condition of small MU ranging from 1 to 100. Dose monitor linearity was studied at different dose calibration parameter (D1_C0 by measuring ionization at 10 cm depth in a solid water phantom using a 0.6 cc ionization chamber. Monitor unit stability was studied from different intensity modulated (IM groups comprising various combinations of MU per field and number of fields. Stability of beam flatness and symmetry was investigated under normal and IMRT mode for 20x20 cm2 field under small MU using a 2D Profiler kept isocentrically at 5 cm depth. Inter segment response was investigated form 1 to 10 MU by measuring the dose per MU from various IM groups, each consisting of four segments with inter-segment separation of 2 cm. In the range 1-4 MU, the dose linearity error was more than 5% (max -32% at 1 MU for 6 MV x-rays at factory calibrated D1_C0 value of 6000. The dose linearity error was reduced to -10.95% at 1 MU, within -3% for 2 and 3 MU and ±1% for MU ≥4 when the D1_C0 was subsequently tuned at 4500. For 18 MV x-rays, the dose linearity error at factory calibrated D1_C0 value of 4400 was within ±1% for MU ≥ 3 with maximum of -13.5 observed at 1 MU. For both the beam energies and MU/field ≥ 4, the stability of monitor unit tested for different IM groups was within ±1% of the dose from the normal treatment field. This variation increases to -2.6% for 6 MV and -2.7% for 18 MV x-rays for 2 MU/field. No significant variation was observed in the stability of beam profile measured from normal and IMRT mode. The beam flatness

The aim of this study is to assess and analyze the stability of the calibration factor of three linear accelerators, as well as the other dosimetric parameters normally included in a program of quality control in radiotherapy. The average calibration factors of the accelerators for the period of approximately four years for the Clinac 600C and Clinac 6EX were (0.998±0.012) and (0.996±0.014), respectively. For the Clinac 2100CD 6 MV and 15 MV was (1.008±0.009) and (1.006±0.010), respectively, in a period of approximately four years. The data of the calibration factors were divided into four subgroups for a more detailed analysis of behavior over the years. Through statistical analysis of calibration factors, we found that for the 600C and Clinacs 2100CD, is an expected probability that more than 90% of cases the values are within acceptable ranges according to TG-142, while for the Clinac 6EX is expected around 85% since this had several exchanges of accelerator components. The values of TPR20,10 of three accelerators are practically constant and within acceptable limits according to the TG-142. It can be concluded that a detailed study of data from the calibration factor of the accelerators and TPR{sub 20},{sub 10} from a quantitative point of view, is extremely useful in a quality assurance program. (author)

Dysphagia is a common and debilitating side effect in head and neck radiotherapy (RT). Prognostic factors are numerous and their interrelationship not well understood. The aim of this study was to establish a multivariate prognostic model for acute and late dysphagia after RT, based on informatio...

We have tested a very aggressive combination protocol with cisplatin and escalated paclitaxel in combination with accelerated hyperfractionated radiotherapy to assess the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), overall toxicity, and response rate. Patients and Methods: The trial recruited 24 patients (21 males, three females, mean age 57 years) treated at our department from 1998 through 2001. Irradiation was administered in daily doses of 2 Gy up to 30 Gy followed by 1.4 Gy twice daily up to 70.6 Gy to the primary tumor and involved nodes and 51 Gy to the clinically negative regional nodes. The chemotherapy schedule included cisplatin in a fixed dose of 20 mg/m{sup 2} on days 1-5 and 29-33 and paclitaxel at increasing dose levels of 20, 25, 30 mg/m{sup 2} twice weekly over the whole treatment time. Patients were recruited in cohorts of three to six, and the MTD was reached if two out of six patients in one cohort developed DLT. DLT was defined as any grade 4 toxicity or any grade 3 toxicity requiring treatment interruption or unplanned hospitalization or any grade 3 neurotoxicity. We recruited mainly patients with large tumors for this protocol; all patients were stage IV, and the mean tumor volume (primary + metastases) amounted to 72 {+-} 61 cm{sup 3}. The mean follow-up was 30 months (range 4-39 months). Results: One early death (peritonitis and sepsis a t day 10) occurred, and 23 patients were evaluable for acute toxicity and response. The MTD of paclitaxel was reached at the third dose level (30 mg/m{sup 2} paclitaxel twice weekly). The DLT was severe mucositis grade 3 (n = 1) and skin erythema grade 4 (n = 2). After determining the MTD, another 14 patients were treated at the recommended dose level of paclitaxel with 25 mg/m{sup 2} twice weekly. In summary, 13/23 patients (57%) developed grade 3 and 10/23 (43%) grade 2 mucositis. Two patients (9%) had grade 4, five (22%) grade 3, and 16 (69%) grade 2 dermatitis. One patient died at day 30

A combined system comprising the TrueBeam linear accelerator and a new real-time, tumor-tracking radiotherapy system, SyncTraX, was installed in our institution. The goals of this study were to assess the capability of SyncTraX in measuring the position of a fiducial marker using color fluoroscopic images, and to evaluate the dosimetric and geometric accuracy of respiratory-gated radiotherapy using this combined system for the simple geometry. For the fundamental evaluation of respiratory-gated radiotherapy using SyncTraX, the following were performed:1) determination of dosimetric and positional characteristics of sinusoidal patterns using a motor-driven base for several gating windows; 2) measurement of time delay using an oscilloscope; 3) positional verification of sinusoidal patterns and the pattern in the case of a lung cancer patient; 4) measurement of the half-value layer (HVL in mm AL), effective kVp, and air kerma, using a solid-state detector for each fluoroscopic condition, to determine the patient dose. The dose profile in a moving phantom with gated radiotherapy having a gating window ≤ 4 mm was in good agreement with that under static conditions for each photon beam. The total time delay between TrueBeam and SyncTraX was < 227 ms for each photon beam. The mean of the positional tracking error was < 0.4 mm for sinusoidal patterns and for the pattern in the case of a lung cancer patient. The air-kerma rates from one fluoroscopy direction were 1.93 ± 0.01, 2.86 ± 0.01, 3.92 ± 0.04, 5.28 ± 0.03, and 6.60 ± 0.05 mGy/min for 70, 80, 90, 100, and 110 kV X-ray beams at 80 mA, respectively. The combined system comprising TrueBeam and SyncTraX could track the motion of the fiducial marker and control radiation delivery with reasonable accuracy; therefore, this system provides significant dosimetric improvement. However, patient exposure dose from fluoroscopy was not clinically negligible.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Results of high-dose chemo-radiotherapy (CRT, using the treatment schedules of EORTC study 08972/22973 or radiotherapy (RT alone were analyzed among all patients (pts with Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC treated with curative intent in our department from 1995–2004. Material Included are 131 pts with medically inoperable or with irresectable NSCLC (TNM stage I:15 pts, IIB:15 pts, IIIA:57 pts, IIIB:43 pts, X:1 pt. Treatment Group I: Concomitant CRT: 66 Gy/2.75 Gy/24 fractions (fx/33 days combined with daily administration of cisplatin 6 mg/m2: 56 pts (standard. Group II: Sequential CRT: two courses of a 21-day schedule of chemotherapy (gemcitabin 1250 mg/m2 d1, cisplatin 75 mg/m2 d2 followed by 66 Gy/2.75 Gy/24 fx/33 days without daily cisplatin: 26 pts. Group III: RT: 66 Gy/2.75 Gy/24 fx/33 days or 60 Gy/3 Gy/20 fx/26 days: 49 pts. Results The 1, 2, and 5 year actuarial overall survival (OS were 46%, 24%, and 15%, respectively. At multivariate analysis the only factor with a significantly positive influence on OS was treatment with chemo-radiation (P = 0.024 (1-, 2-, and 5-yr OS 56%, 30% and 22% respectively. The incidence of local recurrence was 36%, the incidence of distant metastases 46%. Late complications grade 3 were seen in 21 pts and grade 4 in 4 patients. One patient had a lethal complication (oesophageal. For 32 patients insufficient data were available to assess late complications. Conclusion In this study we were able to reproduce the results of EORTC trial 08972/22973 in a non-selected patient population outside of the setting of a randomised trial. Radiotherapy (66 Gy/24 fx/33 days combined with either concomitant daily low dose cisplatin or with two neo-adjuvant courses of gemcitabin and cisplatin are effective treatments for patients with locally advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. The concomitant schedule is also suitable for elderly people with co-morbidity.

Purpose: To determine the local control and complication rates for children with papillary and/or macular retinoblastoma progressing after chemotherapy and undergoing stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) with a micromultileaf collimator. Methods and Materials: Between 2004 and 2008, 11 children (15 eyes) with macular and/or papillary retinoblastoma were treated with SRT. The mean age was 19 months (range, 2-111). Of the 15 eyes, 7, 6, and 2 were classified as International Classification of Intraocular Retinoblastoma Group B, C, and E, respectively. The delivered dose of SRT was 50.4 Gy in 28 fractions using a dedicated micromultileaf collimator linear accelerator. Results: The median follow-up was 20 months (range, 13-39). Local control was achieved in 13 eyes (87%). The actuarial 1- and 2-year local control rates were both 82%. SRT was well tolerated. Late adverse events were reported in 4 patients. Of the 4 patients, 2 had developed focal microangiopathy 20 months after SRT; 1 had developed a transient recurrence of retinal detachment; and 1 had developed bilateral cataracts. No optic neuropathy was observed. Conclusions: Linear accelerator-based SRT for papillary and/or macular retinoblastoma in children resulted in excellent tumor control rates with acceptable toxicity. Additional research regarding SRT and its intrinsic organ-at-risk sparing capability is justified in the framework of prospective trials.

This work reveals the peculiarities which must be taken into account for the clinical use of this type of accelerators, regarding its operational stability and describe the problems that arise in the logistics work, both from the point of view of the physical dosimetry and radiation protection. (Author)

with stage III or IV HNSCC of the larynx, oropharynx, hypopharynx, or oral cavity where included between January 2007 and December 2010. The prescribed radiotherapy (RT) dose was 66-68 Gy in 2 Gy fractions, 6 F/W. The hypoxic radiosensitiser nimorazole was given orally at a dose of 1200 mg/m(2) before each......, and 149 patients (66%) received the full dose of nimorazole. The five-year actuarial LRC, EFS and OS rates were 80%, 67% and 72%, respectively. The LRC rates according to site were: oropharynx: 88%, larynx: 77%, hypopharynx 72% and oral cavity 49%, respectively. HPV/p16 staining was obtained in 141...... of the 150 oropharyngeal cancers. Of these, 112 (79%) were p16 pos and 29 (21%) were p16 neg. LRC for the p16 neg oropharyngeal cancers was poorer than for the p16 pos (74% vs. 91%; p = 0.02). Tube feeding during treatment was necessary for 146 (64%) patients. At 12 months this number was reduced to 6...

It was determined the radiation levels by neutrons due to photonuclear reactions ({gamma}, n) which occur in the target, levelling filter, collimators and the small pillow blinding of a medical accelerator Varian Clinac 2100C of 18 MeV, using thermoluminescent dosemeters UD-802AS and US-809AS. The experimental values were presented for the patient level, inside and outside of the radiation field, as well as for the small pillow. (Author)

The Bevalac, a versatile high-energy heavy-ion accelerator complex, has been in operation for less than two years. A major purpose for which the Bevalac was constructed was to explore the possibility of heavy-ion teams for therapy for certain forms of cancer. Significant progress has been made in this direction. The National Cancer Institute has recognized the advantages that these and other accelerated particles offer, and heavy ions have been included in a long-term plan for particle therapy that will assess by means of controlled therapeutic tests the value of various modalities. Since accelerated heavy ions became available, the possibility of other contributions, not planned, became apparent. We are developig a new diagnostic method known as heavy-ion radiography that has greatly increased sensitivity for soft-tissue detail and that may become a powerful tool for localizing early tumors and metastases. We have discovered that radioactive beams are formed from fragmentation of stable deflected beams. Use of these autoradioactive beams is just beginning; however, we know that these beams will be helpful in localizing the region in the body where therapy is being delivered. In addition, it has been demonstrated that instant implantation of the radioactive beam allows direct measurements of blood perfusion rates in inaccessible parts of the body, and such a technique may become a new tool for the study of fast hot atom reactions in biochemistry, tracer biology and nuclear medicine. The Bevalac will also be useful for the continuation of previously developed methods for the control of acromegaly, Cushing's disease and, on a research basis, advanced diabetes mellitus with vascular disease. The ability to make small bloodless lesions in the brain and elsewhere with heavy-ion beams has great potential for nervous-system studies and perhaps later for radioneurosurgery.

An Image-Guided Radiotherapy–capable linear accelerator (Elekta Synergy) was installed at our hospital, which is equipped with a kV x-ray volume imaging (XVI) system and electronic portal imaging device (iViewGT). The objective of this presentation is to describe the results of commissioning measurements carried out on the XVI facility to verify the manufacturer's specifications and also to evolve a QA schedule which can be used to test its performance routinely. The QA program consists of a series of tests (safety features, geometric accuracy, and image quality). These tests were found to be useful to assess the performance of the XVI system and also proved that XVI system is very suitable for image-guided high-precision radiation therapy. PMID:19893694

Since there have been few reports on postmastectomy radiotherapy having a high evidence level in Japan, the significance of postoperative radiotherapy and the irradiation techniques were reviewed based on reports from Western countries. Authors focused on the indications for postoperative irradiation, irradiation methods (irradiation sites, irradiation techniques; prosthetics, methods of irradiating the chest wall and lymph nodes, timing of irradiation), and complications, and discuss them. The factors thought to be adaptable to postmastectomy radiotherapy have been listed. Axillary lymph node metastasis and the size of the primary focus are thought to be important factors in locoregional recurrence. The chest wall and the supraclavicular lymph nodes are the usual sites of irradiation after mastectomy. The irradiation method consists of tangential irradiation of the chest wall and single-field irradiation of the supraclavicular lymph nodes, with 46-50 Gy in fractional doses of 1.8-2 Gy x 5/w is administered for 4.5-5.5 weeks. The timing of irradiation in the West is generally after chemotherapy. Adverse radiation effects include ischemic heart disease, pneumonitis, arm edema, rib fractures, and brachial plexus paralysis. The frequency of these complications is increased by the combined use of chemotherapy or surgery. The breast cancer cure rate in Japan is generally better than in the West. It remains to be determined whether the clinical data from Europe and America are applicable to the treatment of breast cancer in Japan. To address this issue, a clinical investigation should be performed in Japan with close cooperation between surgeons, physicians, pathologists, and radiotherapists. (K.H.)

In the framework of the development of the integration of a MRI-scanner with a linear accelerator, the influence of a lateral, magnetic field on the dose distribution has to be determined. Dose increase is expected at tissue-air boundaries, due to the electron return effect (ERE): electrons entering air will describe a circular path and return into the phantom causing extra dose deposition. Using IMRT with many beam directions, this exit dose will not constitute a problem. Dose levels behind air cavities will decrease because of the absence of electrons crossing the cavity. The ERE has been demonstrated both by simulation and experiment. Monte Carlo simulations are performed with GEANT4, irradiating a water-air-water phantom in a lateral magnetic field. Also an air tube in water has been simulated, resulting in slightly twisted regions of dose increase and decrease. Experimental demonstration is achieved by film measurement in a perspex-air-perspex phantom in an electromagnet. Although the ERE causes dose increase before air cavities, relatively flat dose profiles can be obtained for the investigated cases using opposite beam configurations. More research will be necessary whether this holds for more realistic geometries with the use of IMRT and whether the ERE can be turned to our advantage when treating small tumour sites at air cavities.

The results of the neutrons yield in different components of the bolster of an accelerator Varian Clinac 2100C of 18 MV for radiotherapy are presented, which contribute to the radiation of flight of neutrons in the patient and bolster planes. For the calculation of the neutrons yield, a simplified geometric model of spherical cell for the armor-plating of the bolster with Pb and W was used. Its were considered different materials for the Bremsstrahlung production and of neutrons produced through the photonuclear reactions and of electro disintegration, in function of the initial energy of the electron. The theoretical result of the total yield of neutrons is of 1.17x10{sup -3} n/e, considering to the choke in position of closed, in the patient plane with a distance source-surface of 100 cm; of which 15.73% corresponds to the target, 58.72% to the primary collimator, 4.53% to the levelled filter of Fe, 4.87% to the levelled filter of Ta and 16.15% to the closed choke. For an initial energy of the electrons of 18 MeV, a half energy of the neutrons of 2 MeV was obtained. The calculated values for radiation of experimental neutrons flight are inferior to the maxima limit specified in the NCRP-102 and IEC-60601-201.Ed.2.0 reports. The absorbed dose of neutrons determined through the measurements with TLD dosemeters in the isocenter to 100 cm of the target when the choke is closed one, is approximately 3 times greater that the calculated for armor-plating of W and 1.9 times greater than an armor-plating of Pb. (Author)

In this work a comparison between the response of alanine and Markus ionization chamber was carried out for measurements of the output factors (OF) of electron beams produced by a linear accelerator used for Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy (IORT). Output factors (OF) for conventional high-energy electron beams are normally measured using ionization chamber according to international dosimetry protocols. However, the electron beams used in IORT have characteristics of dose per pulse, energy spectrum and angular distribution quite different from beams usually used in external radiotherapy, so the direct application of international dosimetry protocols may introduce additional uncertainties in dosimetric determinations. The high dose per pulse could lead to an inaccuracy in dose measurements with ionization chamber, due to overestimation of ks recombination factor. Furthermore, the electron fields obtained with IORT-dedicated applicators have a wider energy spectrum and a wider angular distribution than the conventional fields, due to the presence of electrons scattered by the applicator's wall. For this reason, a dosimetry system should be characterized by a minimum dependence from the beam energy and from angle of incidence of electrons. This become particularly critical for small and bevelled applicators. All of these reasons lead to investigate the use of detectors different from the ionization chamber for measuring the OFs. Furthermore, the complete characterization of the radiation field could be accomplished also by the use of Monte Carlo simulations which allows to obtain detailed information on dose distributions. In this work we compare the output factors obtained by means of alanine dosimeters and Markus ionization chamber. The comparison is completed by the Monte Carlo calculations of OFs determined through the use of the Geant4 application "iort _ therapy" . The results are characterized by a good agreement of response of alanine pellets and Markus

This book deals in detail with all aspects of the best practice in modern radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma. It provides the background and rationale for the inclusion of radiotherapy in today's combined-modality approach, including special clinical situations such as Hodgkin lymphoma in children, in the pregnant patient, and in the elderly. Radiotherapy planning using state-of-the-art imaging, target definition, planning software, and treatment equipment is expounded in detail. Acute and long-term side effects of radiotherapy are analyzed, and the implications for modern radiotherapy approaches in Hodgkin lymphomas are explained. (orig.)

From 1985 through 1990, twelve patients with estehesioneuroblastoma have been treated at the Department of Radiotherapy at the University of Erlangen. Two had Kadish stage A, one stage B, and nine stage C. There were seven males and five females with a mean age of 43 years. Eleven patients had combined trancranial-transbasal surgery prior to radiotherapy (five R0-, four R1-, and two patients R2-resections) and one received radiotherapy only. The dose was 12 to 60 Gy (mean 54 Gy) in 1.8 Gy to 2 Gy per fraction. 8/12 patients (67%) were locally controlled. One had progressive disease during radiotherapy after partial resection and died. Three had local recurrences, one in-field and two marginal. One patient with a local recurrence developed cervical lymph node metastases, and one locally controlled patient developed bone metastases but is alive eight years after chemotherapy plus radiotherapy for metastatic disease. The five-year-overall and recurrence-free survival was 72% and 55%, respectively. (orig./MG)

Full Text Available Targeted tumor radiotherapy is selectively delivery of curative doses of radiation to malignant sites. The aim of the targeted tumor radiotherapy is to use the radionuclides which have high LET particle emissions conjugated to appropriate carrier molecules. The radionuclides are selectively collected by tumor cells, depositing lethal doses to tumor cells while no admission occur to normal cells. In theory, targeted radiotherapy has several advantages over conventional radiotherapy since it allows a high radiation dose to be administered without causing normal tissue toxicity, although there are some limitations in the availability of appropriate targeting agents and in the calculations of administered doses. Therefore, for routine clinical applications more progress is still needed. In this article, the potential use of targeted tumor radiotherapy is briefly reviewed. More general aspects and considerations, such as potential radionuclides, mechanisms of tumor targeting was also outlined.

Full Text Available Introduction and potentials of classical radiotherapy After purchase of radiotherapy equipment in 2003, classic radiation therapy in Serbia will reach the highest world level. In order to define the highest standards in radiation technology, we analyzed the current status and potential perspectives of radiation therapy. Technological levels of radiotherapy in developed countries An analysis of present situation in the USA, assumed as the most developed in the world, was done. Available data, collected in the last 3 years (equipment assortment, therapy modalities, workload and manpower for 284 radiotherapy centers, out of potential 2050, were analyzed. Results were presented as crude percentage and mached to point current status. Results of analysis and discussion The analysis showed that CLINAC accelerators are the most popular (82.7%, as well as, ADAC (43.7% and Focus (CMS (27.4% systems for therapy planning. Movement towards virtual simulation is evident (59.3%, although classic ”simulation” is not fully eliminated from the radiotherapy chain. The most popular brachytherapy afterloader is Microselectron HDR (71%. About 64.4% centers use IMPAC communication/verification/record system that seems more open than Varis. All centers practice modern radiotherapy modalities and techniques (CFRT, IMRT, SRS/SRT, TBI, IORT, IVBHRT, HDR BHRT, etc.. CT and MRI availability is out of question, but PET is available in 3% of centers, however this percentage is rapidly growing. Up to 350 new patients per year are treated by one accelerator (about 35 pts. a day. Centers are relatively small and utilize 2-3 accelerators on average. Average FTE staffing norm is 4 radiation oncologists, 2-3 medical radiotherapy physicists, about 3 certified medical dosimetrists and about 6 radiotherapy technologists. Technological aspects and conclusion In the past 5 years relative stagnation in classic radiotherapy has been observed. In spite of substantial investments in

The CyberKnife system is state-of-the-art cancer treatment equipment that combines an image tracking technique, artificial intelligence software, robot technology, accelerator technology, and treatment simulation technology. The current CyberKnife System has significant shortcomings. The biggest problem is that it takes a longer time to treat a tumor. A long treatment time gives stress to patients. Furthermore it makes the patients uncomfortable with radiation and thus it is difficult to measure the exact radiation dose rate to the tumor in the processing. Linear accelerators for radiation treatment are dependent on imports, and demand high maintenance cost. This also makes the treatment cost higher and prevents the popularization of radiation. To solve the disadvantages of the existing CyberKnife, a radiation treatment robot system applied to several articulated robots is suggested. Essential element techniques for new radiotherapy robot system are investigated and some problems of similar existing systems are analyzed. This paper presents a general configuration of a new radiation robot treatment system including with a quantitative goal of the requirement techniques. This paper described a new radiotherapy robot system to track the tumor using multiple articulated robots in real time. The existing CyberKnife system using a single robot arm has disadvantages of a long radiotherapy time, high medical fee, and inaccurate measurement of the radiotherapy dose. So a new radiotherapy robot system for tumors has been proposed to solve the above problems of conventional CyberKnife systems. Necessary technologies to configure new the radiotherapy robot system have been identified. Quantitative targets of each technology have been established. Multiple robot arms are adopted to decrease the radiotherapy time. The results of this research are provided as a requisite technology for a domestic radiotherapy system and are expected to be the foundation of new technology. The

The proceedings include contributions on the following issues: laser driven proton accelerators on the way for radiotherapy, radiobiological evaluation of new radiations; molecular factors of radiation response; biological targeting; EGFR epidermal growth factor receptor/targeting - combined internal and external irradiation, radiobiology of normal tissues; dose-volume histograms for the radiotherapy: curves without radiobiological relevance or important information for the therapy planning; HPV (human papilloma virus) and radiation sensitivity of HNSCC (head and neck squamous cell carcinomas): evidence, radiobiological mechanism, clinical consequences and perspectives; mechanisms of action and intertumoral heterogeneity of response to EGFR inhibition in radiotherapy of solid tumors; evaluation of biomarkers for radiotherapy.

The present invention relates to a method and nano-sized particles for image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) of a target tissue. More specifically, the invention relates to nano-sized particles comprising X-ray-imaging contrast agents in solid form with the ability to block x-rays, allowing for simult...... for simultaneous or integrated external beam radiotherapy and imaging, e.g., using computed tomography (CT)....

The security system plays an important role to protect the safety of patients and equipment in radiotherapy. The principle and structure of three kinds of security system of the Siemens digital linear accelerator were analyzed with some examples.

At Present, about five thousands accelerators are devoted to biomedical applications. They are mainly used in radiotherapy, research and medical radioisotopes production. In this framework oncological hadron-therapy deserves particular attention since it represents a field in rapid evolution thanks to the joint efforts of laboratories with long experiences in particle physics. It is the case of CERN where the design of an optimised synchrotron for medical applications has been pursued. These lectures present these activities with particular attention to the new developments which are scientifically interesting and/or economically promising.

Abstract Objective. Low saliva flow and abnormal saliva composition are common conditions after radiotherapy for oral cavity and pharyngeal cancer. Both conditions increase the susceptibility to dental caries and erosion, which may be further accelerated by changes in food preferences. The aim of...

Eighteen patients with medulloblastoma, treated between 1972 and 1981, at Kobe University School of Medicine, were retrospectively studied. Of those completing post operative irradiation, 50% have survived for 2 years, 15% for 5 years and mean survival periods was 22.2 months. 13 out of 18 patients developed local recurrence and spinal dissemination. The mean time from the initial radiotherapy to recurrence was 8.5 months. It was suggested that posterior fossa should recieve 5,000 rad, the spine should 2,000 rad and recurrences should be treated by the combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Full Text Available David Alimi Department of Anesthesiology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USAWe read with great interest the excellent review on xerostomia induced by radiotherapy, by Pinna et al.1 The authors should be congratulated for a very detailed review of the physiopathology, clinical symptoms, and therapeutic management of an extremely difficult condition. Although we agree that the use of anticholinergic medication represents treatment, it requires the patient to have residual salivary gland function. Unfortunately, it is well established that in most cases radiotherapy destroys most of the salivary gland and associated salivary secretions.

n this work we show our experience during the commissioning of a mobile electron-beam accelerator dedicated to intraoperative radiation therapy in the theatre room. The linac is a Sordina LIAC 12 MeV model with a hard-docking applicator system. We describe the linac, the measurement methods and the specific dosimetry. The dosimetric behavior is also discussed. Differences with other applicator systems can be explained from the particular head design of the linac. (Author)

Erythropoietin (E.P.O.) is a glycoprotein hormone. This hormone is a growth factor for red blood cells precursors in the bone marrow. The decrease of oxygen partial pressure, a reduced number of erythrocytes caused by bleeding or excessive destruction, or increased tissues oxygen requirements lead to increased secretion of E.P.O.. Its action takes place on bone marrow erythroblastic cells through specific receptors. E.P.O. stimulates the proliferation of red cell precursors stem cells in the bone marrow, thus increasing their production in one to two weeks. The effectiveness of E.P.O. at increasing haemoglobin and improving patients quality of life has been demonstrated by several studies. However, its use in radiotherapy remains controversial. While tumour hypoxia caused by anaemia is a factor of radio resistance and thus a source of local failure, tumour expression of E.P.O. receptors presents a significant risk for tumour progression and neo-angiogenesis, which would be increased during the administration of E.P.O.. The purpose of this article is to answer the question: is there a place for E.P.O. in combination with radiotherapy in the management of cancer?

Radiotherapy remains the mainstay of multidisciplinary management of patients with incompletely resected and recurrent craniopharyngioma. Advances in imaging and radiotherapy technology offer new alternatives with the principal aim of improving the accuracy of treatment and reducing the volume of normal brain receiving significant radiation doses. We review the available technologies, their technical advantages and disadvantages and the published clinical results. Fractionated high precision conformal radiotherapy with image guidance remains the gold standard; the results of single fraction treatment are disappointing and hypofractionation should be used with caution as long term results are not available. There is insufficient data on the use of protons to assess the comparative efficacy and toxicity. The precision of treatment delivery needs to be coupled with experienced infrastructure and more intensive quality assurance to ensure best treatment outcome and this should be carried out within multidisciplinary teams experienced in the management of craniopharyngioma. The advantages of the combined skills and expertise of the team members may outweigh the largely undefined clinical gain from novel radiotherapy technologies.

Humans should avoid exposure to radiation, because the consequences are harmful to health. Although there are different emission sources of radiation, generated by medical devices they are usually of great interest, since people who attend hospitals are exposed in one way or another to ionizing radiation. Therefore, is important to conduct studies on radioactive levels that are generated in hospitals, as a result of the use of medical equipment. To determine levels of exposure speed of a radioactive facility there are different methods, including the radiation detector and computational method. This thesis uses the computational method. With the program MCNP5 was determined the speed of the radiation exposure in the radiotherapy room of Cancer Center of ABC Hospital in Mexico City. In the application of computational method, first the thicknesses of the shields were calculated, using variables as: 1) distance from the shield to the source; 2) desired weekly equivalent dose; 3) weekly total dose equivalent emitted by the equipment; 4) occupation and use factors. Once obtained thicknesses, we proceeded to model the bunker using the mentioned program. The program uses the Monte Carlo code to probabilistic ally determine the phenomena of interaction of radiation with the shield, which will be held during the X-ray emission from the linear accelerator. The results of computational analysis were compared with those obtained experimentally with the detection method, for which was required the use of a Geiger-Muller counter and the linear accelerator was programmed with an energy of 19 MV with 500 units monitor positioning the detector in the corresponding boundary. (Author)

At the Department of Radiation Oncology of the UMC Utrecht, an MRI-linear accelerator (MRI-linac) is being developed. This hybrid MRI radiotherapy system features an 8 MV linear accelerator rotating around a 1.5 T cylindrical MRI scanner. This combination enables direct visualization of the radiothe

Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) is the most frequent extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease, an autoimmune disorder of the thyroid, whereas the precise pathogenesis still remains unclear. In Hashimoto's thyroiditis the occurrence of proptosis is an extremely rare event. The therapy for middle and severe courses of GO shows in partly disappointing results, although several therapy modalities are possible (glucocorticoid therapy, radiotherapy, antithyroid drug treatment, surgery). All these therapies lead in only 40 - 70 % to an improvement of the pathogenic symptoms. An intensive interdisciplinary cooperation is necessary to satisfy the requirements for the treatment of Graves' ophthalmopathy. As a consequence of the very different results of the few of clinical studies that were accomplished with reference to this topic, treatment by radiotherapy in the management of the disease is presently controversially discussed. In the German-speaking countries the radiotherapy is, however, firmly established as a therapy option in the treatment of the moderate disease classes (class 2-5 according to NO SPECS), especially if diplopia is present. This article describes the sequences, dosages and fractionation schemes as well as the risks and side effects of the radiotherapy. Altogether, radiotherapy is assessed as an effective and sure method. The administration of glucocorticoids can take place before the beginning of or during the radiotherapy. For the success of treatment the correct selection of patients who may possibly profit from a radiotherapy is absolutely essential. By realising that GO proceeds normally over a period of 2-5 years, which is followed by a period of fibrotic alteration, the application of the radiotherapy in the early, active phase is indispensable. A precise explanation for the effects of radiotherapy in treatment of the GO does not exist at present. The determination of the most effective irradiation doses was made from retrospectively evaluated

The Physics of Radiotherapy X-Rays and Electrons is an updated successor to The Physics of Radiotherapy X-Rays from Linear Accelerators published in 1997. This new volume includes a significant amount of new material, including new chapters on electrons in radiotherapy and IMRT, IGRT, and tomotherapy, which have become key developments in radiation therapy. Also updated from the earlier edition are the physics beam modeling chapters, including Monte Carlo methods, adding those mysterious electrons, as well as discourse on radiobiological modeling including TCP, NTCP, and EUD and the impact of these concepts on plan analysis and inverse planning. This book is intended as a standard reference text for postgraduate radiation oncology medical physics students. It will also be of interest to radiation oncology registrars and residents, dosimetrists, and radiation therapists. The new text contains review questions at the end of each chapter and full bibliographic entries. Fully indexed. Selected questions and ans...

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of cutaneous lymphomas. In the treatment of Mycosis fungoides, total skin electron beam radiation therapy is efficient for patients with limited and superficial forms of the disease. Radiotherapy is also efficient for the locally advanced forms of non-epidermo-tropic lymphomas. The palliative radiotherapy is indicated for advanced, nodular and treatment resistant forms of cutaneous lymphomas and for voluminous lymphadenopathies. (authors)

A brief comparison is made of the design and performance of early and modern isocentric microwave linear accelerators for radiotherapy. Generally accepted criteria for the design of current machines are presented, along with a rationale for their selection. The current development of international standards for safety and performance of medical electron accelerators is reviewed.

The flexibility in radiotherapy can be improved if a patient can be moved between any one of the department's medical linear accelerators without the need to change anything in the patient's treatment plan. For this to be possible, the dosimetric characteristics of the various accelerators must b...

The helicoid tomo therapy is an external radiotherapy system of modulated intensity, guided by image, in which the radiation is imparted to the patient using a narrow radiation beam in helicoid form, in a similar way to the scanning process with a computerized tomography. The tomo therapy equipment (Tomo Therapy Hi-Art) consists in an electrons linear accelerator with acceleration voltages of 6 MV for treatment and 3.5 MV for image, coupled to a ring that turn around the patient as this is transferred through this ring in perpendicular sense to the radiation beam. The radiation beam is narrow because has the maximum size of 5 x 40 cm{sup 2} in the isocenter. The intensity modulation of the beam is carried out with a binary dynamic collimator of 64 crisscross sheets, and the guide by image though a system of megavoltage computerized tomography. Opposed to the radiation beam, also coupled to the rotational ring, a group of lead plates exists with a total thickness of 13 cm that acts as barrier of the primary radiation beam. The special configuration of the tomography equipment makes to have the following characteristics: 1) the presence of the lead barrier of the equipment reduces the intensity of the primary beam that reaches the bunker walls in considerable way, 2) the disperse and leakage radiations are increased with regard to a conventional accelerator due to the increase in the necessary irradiation time to produce modulated intensity fields by means of the narrow radiation beam. These special characteristics of the tomo therapy equipment make that particularities exist in the application of the formulations for structural shielding calculations that appears in the NCRP reports 49, NCRP 151 and IAEA-SRS-47. For this reason, several researches have development analytic models based on geometric considerations of continuous rotation of the equipment ring to determine the shielding requirements for the primary beam, the dispersed and leakage radiation in tomo

Between 1975 and 1996, 14 patients (11 females, 3 males) with vertebral hemangioma received treatment with radiotherapy. Thirteen patients had a history of back pain or lumbago and 2 patients had neurological symptoms such as sensory impairment or paraplegia. The standard dose administered was 36 Gy in 18 fractions (five treatments per week). In the 13 patients with pain, this was completely or partially relieved. The condition of a man with hypesthesia of the legs deteriorated and a woman with paraplegia who was treated with decompressive laminectomy followed by radiotherapy recovered completely after irradiation. CT scan before irradiation showed thickened trabeculae as small punctate areas of sclerosis in all patients. At MR imaging before irradiation, T2-weighted MR images showed areas of high intensity in all patients and MR images demonstrated lesion enhancement. However, none of the patients who were treated successfully with radiation demonstrated any changes of the affected vertebra in the conventional radiographic films, CT scan or MR imaging, even 5 years after irradiation. Radiological imaging is indispensable for the diagnosis of vertebral hemangiomas but does not appear to be useful for evaluating the effects of radiotherapy. (orig.).

In 2011, the Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy Research Working Group (CTRad) of the National Cancer Research Institute brought together UK radiotherapy physics leaders for a think tank meeting. Following a format that CTRad had previously and successfully used with clinical oncologists, 23 departments were asked to complete a pre-meeting evaluation of their radiotherapy physics research infrastructure and the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within their own centre. These departments were brought together with the CTRad Executive Group and research funders to discuss the current state of radiotherapy physics research, perceived barriers and possible solutions. In this Commentary, we summarise the submitted materials, presentations and discussions from the meeting and propose an action plan. It is clear that there are challenges in both funding and staffing of radiotherapy physics research. Programme and project funding streams sometimes struggle to cater for physics-led work, and increased representation on research funding bodies would be valuable. Career paths for academic radiotherapy physicists need to be examined and an academic training route identified within Modernising Scientific Careers; the introduction of formal job plans may allow greater protection of research time, and should be considered. Improved access to research facilities, including research linear accelerators, would enhance research activity and pass on developments to patients more quickly; research infrastructure could be benchmarked against centres in the UK and abroad. UK National Health Service departments wishing to undertake radiotherapy research, with its attendant added value for patients, need to develop a strategy with their partner higher education institution, and collaboration between departments may provide enhanced opportunities for funded research.

After a latency period of many years the incidence of a secondary tumor is considered a serious late effect of radiotherapy. Analysis of about 200 patients, treated by radiotherapy for Hodgkin`s disease in our hospital, shows an actuarial risk for the incidence of a secondary tumor of about 7% after 10 years. The chance of tumor induction depends on the dose at the location of the tumor and therefore a good dose estimation is mandatory. Radiotherapy was given with Co-60 in the early years and with linear accelerators thereafter, exposing the target areas to 36 - 40 Gy. For dose estimations at the penumbra and outside the beam, where tumor incidence is expected to be high, we used a.o. Monte Carlo calculations. We developed an EGS4 computer simulation for a treatment beam from a linear accelerator irradiating a mathematical phantom representing the patient geometry (GSF ADAM phantom). The isodose curves at certain energies were obtained for a water phantom and fitted quite well with measurements. In addition to Monte Carlo calculations we also used existing treatment planning systems. The dose estimations of a number of patients and the derived risk per unit of dose, which is important for both radiotherapy as well as radiation protection in general, is discussed.

Radiotherapy electron beams are more complicated than photon beams due to variations in the beam production, the scattering of low-energy electrons, and the presence contaminant photons. The detailed knowledge of a radiotherapy beam is essential to an accurate calculation of dose distribution for a treatment planning system. This investigation aims to enhance our understanding of radiotherapy beams by focusing on electron beams used in radiotherapy. It starts with a description of the Monte Carlo simulation code, BEAM, and a detailed simulation of an accelerator head to obtain realistic radiotherapy beams. The simulation covers electron beams from various accelerators, including the NRC research accelerator, the NPL (UK), accelerator, A Varian Clinac 2100C, a Philips SL75-20, a Siemens KD2, an AECL Therac 20, and a Scanditronix MM50. The beam energies range from 4 to 50 MeV. The EGS4 user code, BEAM, is extensively benchmarked against experiment by comparing calculated dose distributions with measured dose distributions in water. The simulated beams are analyzed to obtain the characteristics of various electron beams from a variety of accelerators. The simulated beams are also used as inputs to calculate the following parameters: the mean electron energy, the most probable energy, the energy-range relationships, the depth-scaling factor to convert depths in plastic to water-equivalent depths, the water-to-air stopping-power ratios, and the electron fluence correction factors used to convert dose measured in plastics to dose in water. These parameters are essential for electron beam dosimetry. The results from this study can be applied in cancer clinics to improve the accuracy of the absolute dosimetry. The simulation also provides information about the backscatter into the beam monitor chamber, and predicts the influence on the beam output factors. This investigation presents comprehensive data on the clinical electron beams, and answers many questions which could

I describe the future accelerator facilities that are currently foreseen for electroweak scale physics, neutrino physics, and nuclear structure. I will explore the physics justification for these machines, and suggest how the case for future accelerators can be made.

Purpose: A physician's decision regarding an ideal treatment approach (i.e., radiation, surgery, and/or hormonal) for prostate carcinoma is traditionally based on a variety of metrics. One of these metrics is the risk of radiation-induced second primary cancer following radiation treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of second cancer risks in out-of-field organs from 3D-CRT and IMRT treatments of prostate carcinoma compared to baseline cancer risks in these organs. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were performed using a detailed medical linear accelerator model and an anatomically realistic adult male whole-body phantom. A four-field box treatment, a four-field box treatment plus a six-field boost, and a seven-field IMRT treatment were simulated. Using BEIR VII risk models, the age-dependent lifetime attributable risks to various organs outside the primary beam with a known predilection for cancer were calculated using organ-averaged equivalent doses. Results: The four-field box treatment had the lowest treatment-related second primary cancer risks to organs outside the primary beam ranging from 7.3x10{sup -9} to 2.54x10{sup -5}%/MU depending on the patients age at exposure and second primary cancer site. The risks to organs outside the primary beam from the four-field box and six-field boost and the seven-field IMRT were nearly equivalent. The risks from the four-field box and six-field boost ranged from 1.39x10{sup -8} to 1.80x10{sup -5}%/MU, and from the seven-field IMRT ranged from 1.60x10{sup -9} to 1.35x10{sup -5}%/MU. The second cancer risks in all organs considered from each plan were below the baseline risks. Conclusions: The treatment-related second cancer risks in organs outside the primary beam due to 3D-CRT and IMRT is small. New risk assessment techniques need to be investigated to address the concern of radiation-induced second cancers from prostate treatments, particularly focusing on risks to organs inside the

Purpose: A physician’s decision regarding an ideal treatment approach (i.e., radiation, surgery, and∕or hormonal) for prostate carcinoma is traditionally based on a variety of metrics. One of these metrics is the risk of radiation-induced second primary cancer following radiation treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of second cancer risks in out-of-field organs from 3D-CRT and IMRT treatments of prostate carcinoma compared to baseline cancer risks in these organs. Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were performed using a detailed medical linear accelerator model and an anatomically realistic adult male whole-body phantom. A four-field box treatment, a four-field box treatment plus a six-field boost, and a seven-field IMRT treatment were simulated. Using BEIR VII risk models, the age-dependent lifetime attributable risks to various organs outside the primary beam with a known predilection for cancer were calculated using organ-averaged equivalent doses. Results: The four-field box treatment had the lowest treatment-related second primary cancer risks to organs outside the primary beam ranging from 7.3×10−9 to 2.54×10−5%∕MU depending on the patients age at exposure and second primary cancer site. The risks to organs outside the primary beam from the four-field box and six-field boost and the seven-field IMRT were nearly equivalent. The risks from the four-field box and six-field boost ranged from 1.39×10−8 to 1.80×10−5%∕MU, and from the seven-field IMRT ranged from 1.60×10−9 to 1.35×10−5%∕MU. The second cancer risks in all organs considered from each plan were below the baseline risks. Conclusions: The treatment-related second cancer risks in organs outside the primary beam due to 3D-CRT and IMRT is small. New risk assessment techniques need to be investigated to address the concern of radiation-induced second cancers from prostate treatments, particularly focusing on risks to organs inside the primary beam

Recent developments for the delivery of proton and ion beam therapy have been significant, and a number of technological solutions now exist for the creation and utilisation of these particles for the treatment of cancer. In this paper we review the historical development of particle accelerators used for external beam radiotherapy and discuss the more recent progress towards more capable and cost-effective sources of particles.

Recent developments for the delivery of proton and ion beam therapy have been significant, and a number of technological solutions now exist for the creation and utilisation of these particles for the treatment of cancer. In this paper we review the historical development of particle accelerators used for external beam radiotherapy and discuss the more recent progress towards more capable and cost-effective sources of particles.

The use of Monte Carlo in radiation transport is an effective way to predict absorbed dose distributions. Monte Carlo modeling has contributed to a better understanding of photon and electron transport by radiotherapy physicists. The aim of this review is to introduce Monte Carlo as a powerful radiation transport tool. In this review, photon and electron transport algorithms for Monte Carlo techniques are investigated and a clinical linear accelerator model is studied for external beam radiot...

textabstractCancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Next to surgery and chemotherapy, radiotherapy is one of the most used treatment modalities for cancer. About 50% of the patients with cancer will be treated with radiotherapy during the management of their disease. In radiothera

Full Text Available Radiotherapy has been considered a local modality and outcomes have emphasized local and regional control of tumors. Recent data suggests that radiotherapy may activate the immune system and the combination of radiation therapy and immune therapies may have the potential to improve both local and distant control of tumor deposits. Below we review principals underlying the concepts of combining both modalities.

Linear accelerators are now playing a pivotal role in radiotherapy and high energy photon beams of a strength exceeding 8 MV have recently been mainly used. However, when using high energy photons, neutron contamination due to photonuclear reaction develops. This study focused on the dose distribution of photoneutrons emitted from a linear accelerator using Monte Carlo MCNPX code. MCNPX was used to simulate transportation of photoneutrons in the linear accelerator and the entire space of the radiotherapy room and is useful for calculating the flux, spectrum and absorbed dose. As result of the simulation, we could know that the neutron absorbed dose was as less as negligible when comparing to the photon absorbed dose in radiotherapy room. And it was found that the photoneutron flux increased substantially starting from 10 MV while the absorbed dose rose sharply between 10 MV and 12 MV. It was observed that although the ratio of thermal neutrons to fast neutrons was not altered as the energy increased, it was found that as the distance from the source increased the ratio of thermal neutrons rose markedly.

The status of the sub-project `Compact Accelerator` in the framework of the Hadrontherapy Project leaded by Prof. Amaldi is described. Emphasis is given to the reasons of the use of protons for radiotherapy applications, to the results of the preliminary design studies of four types of accelerators as possible radiotherapy dedicated `Compact Accelerator` and to the scenario of the fonts of financial resources.

accelerator programs. Microsoft runs accelerators in seven different countries. Accelerators have grown out of the infancy stage and are now an accepted approach to develop new ventures based on cutting-edge technology like the internet of things, mobile technology, big data and virtual reality. It is also...... with the traditional audit and legal universes and industries are examples of emerging potentials both from a research and business point of view to exploit and explore further. The accelerator approach may therefore be an Idea Watch to consider, no matter which industry you are in, because in essence accelerators...

Accelerators can help to accelerate value creation. Accelerators are short-term programs that have the objective of creating innovative and fast growing ventures. They have gained attraction as larger corporations like Microsoft, Barclays bank and Nordea bank have initiated and sponsored accelera......Accelerators can help to accelerate value creation. Accelerators are short-term programs that have the objective of creating innovative and fast growing ventures. They have gained attraction as larger corporations like Microsoft, Barclays bank and Nordea bank have initiated and sponsored...... an approach to facilitate implementation and realization of business ideas and is a lucrative approach to transform research into ventures and to revitalize regions and industries in transition. Investors have noticed that the accelerator approach is a way to increase the possibility of success by funnelling...

Purpose. - In case of tumour displacement, image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) based on the use of cone beam CT (tomographie conique) allows replacing the tumour under the accelerator by rigid registration. Anatomical deformations require however re-planning, involving an estimation of the cumulative dose, session after session. This is the objective of this study. Patients and methods. - Two examples of arc-intensity modulated radiotherapy are presented: a case of prostate cancer (total dose = 80 Gy) with tomographie conique (daily prostate registration) and one head and neck cancer (70 Gy). For the head and neck cancer, the patient had a weekly scanner allowing a dose distribution calculation. The cumulative dose was calculated per voxel on the planning CT after deformation of the dose distribution (with trilinear interpolation) following the transformation given by a non-rigid registration step (Demons registration method) from: either the tomographie conique (prostate), or the weekly CT. The cumulative dose was eventually compared with the planned dose. Results. - In cases of prostate irradiation, the 'cumulative' dose corresponded to the planned dose to the prostate. At the last week of irradiation, it was above the planned dose for the rectum and bladder. The volume of rectal wall receiving more than 50 Gy (V50) was 20% at the planning and 26% at the end of treatment, increasing the risk of rectal toxicity (NTCP) of 14%. For the bladder wall, V50 were 73% and 82%, respectively. In head and neck, the 'cumulative' dose to the parotid exceeded the planned dose (mean dose increasing from 46 Gy to 54 Gy) from the 5. week of irradiation on, suggesting the need for re-planning within the first 5 weeks of radiotherapy. Conclusion. - The deformable registration estimates the cumulative dose delivered in the different anatomical structures. Validation on digital and physical phantoms is however required before clinical evaluation. (authors)

External-beam radiotherapy has long been challenged by the simple fact that patients can (and do) move during the delivery of radiation. Recent advances in imaging and beam delivery technologies have made the solution--adapting delivery to natural movement--a practical reality. Adaptive Motion Compensation in Radiotherapy provides the first detailed treatment of online interventional techniques for motion compensation radiotherapy. This authoritative book discusses: Each of the contributing elements of a motion-adaptive system, including target detection and tracking, beam adaptation, and pati

The prototype module of LIBO, a linear accelerator project designed for cancer therapy, has passed its first proton-beam acceleration test. In parallel a new version - LIBO-30 - is being developed, which promises to open up even more interesting avenues.

This paper compares various types of recirculating accelerators, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches. The accelerators are characterized according to the types of arcs they use: whether there is a single arc for the entire recirculator or there are multiple arcs, and whether the arc(s) are isochronous or non-isochronous.

Electron energy and angular distributions and associated effects for radiotherapyaccelerators and beta-ray ophthalmic applicators have been measured and modeled. Ophthalmic applicator extrapolation chamber calibration geometries were studied using Monte Carlo calculations and analytic methods. A large interface effect increases the surface dose by a factor of about 1.5 and makes very small gap width measurements necessary (0.1--0.2 mm). Dose deposition in tissue near the surface was simulated using the Monte Carlo technique. Charge collection in the extrapolation chamber was analytically modeled on the basis of ionized free electrons back-diffusing into the cathode, while taking into account attachment to O[sub 2] ions. Two small, portable, magnetic spectrometers for the measurement of clinical radiotherapy electron beams were constructed. One employs film as a spectrograph and is suitable for routine measurements; the second is a 90[degree] single-focusing spectrometer and uses fast pulse counting electrons and pulse-height analysis. Spectra were measured for the University of Louisville's Theratronics T20 and Philips SL25 linear accelerators. The T20 spectra were all Gaussian with energy widths of about 5%. The SL25 energy spectra were of varied shapes, with energy widths of 10--20%. Evidence of 3--7% shifts in the average energy of the SL25 beams was observed. Angular measurements were made which showed the Gaussian angular spread of the incident beam. The Monte Carlo code CYLTRAN and measured spectra were used to reconstruct depth dose curves. The peak energy structure only marginally affects the shape of the depth-dose curve, and some features of the depth-dose curves must be affected by incident straggled or widely-scattered electrons. In the absence of lower energy straggled electrons, the range parameters and the maximum dose gradient depend on the mean energy of the peak electrons.

Objective: To research on the effect of the metal part of Siemens PRIMUS accelerator treatment couch on radiotherapy dose.Methods: There are three parts of PIM S accelerator treatment couch.They are couch head, carbon fiber clinoid plate and plexiglass clinoid plate.These three parts all have metal part.In our research, MatriXX was clamped in two IBA phantoms whose thick was 6 cm.The center axis of MatriXX was aligned with the center Y-axis of couch.The distance of source to measure center was 100 cm.Firstly, we confirmed respectively the gantry angle limit where the field 10 cm×l0 cm can light these metal parts of three parts.Three gantry angle limits were respectively 110°～135°(symmetrically 225°～250°), 115°～140°(symmetrically 220°～245°) and 155°～lS0°(symmelrically 180°～205°).Secondary, in above gantry angle limits, each internal 5° we set a measure field whose MU was 50, respectively we measured the effect of these three metal parts on 6 MV X-ray dose.Thirdly, MatriXX was put on the plexiglass clinoid plate.Three were nothing except air before 6 MV X-ray reached MatriXX phantom.We repeated above irradiated condition to measure absorbed dose expect couch.Finally, the attenuated data of three metal parts was got from MatriXX software.Results: In the center axis of measured field, the attenuated data of isocenter were respectively 2.1％～22.4％, 1.3％～43.8％ and 0％～46.7％.The max attenuated data were respectively 12.1％～32.2％, 12.9％～65.3％ and 32.8％～58.3％.Conclusions: The metal part of PRIMUS accelerator treatment couch may attenuate much radiotherapy dose.They must be got out of field when positioning.%目的:测量西门子PRIMUS加速器治疗床的金属部件对射野剂量分布的影响.方法:PRIMUS加速器治疗床由可拆卸的床头、网状碳纤维床板和有机玻璃床板三部分组成,3种床板均有金属部件.本文将MatriXX夹在上下各6 cm厚的IBA固体水体模的中间,对齐Matri

Full Text Available Dose distribution evaluation in oncological radiotherapy treatments is an outstanding problem that requires sophisticated computing technologies to optimize the clinical results (i.e. increase the dose to the tumour and reduce the dose to the healthy tissues. Nowdays, dose calculation algorithms based on the Monte Carlo method are generally regarded as the most accurate tools for radiotherapy. The flexibility of the GEANT4 (GEometry ANd Tracking Monte Carlo particle transport simulation code allows a wide range of applications, from high-energy to medical physics. In order to disseminate and encourage the use of Monte Carlo method in oncological radiotherapy, a software package based on the GEANT4 Monte Carlo toolkit has been developed. The developed package (MedLinac2 allows to simulate in an adequate flexible way a linear accelerator for radiotherapy and to evaluate the dose distributions.

We analyzed forty one patients with acoustic neuroma treated by SRT giving 36 Gy in 20 fractions to 48 Gy in 23 fractions during 1991 and 1997, and found a sterilization of tumor size in 97.6%. Twenty-six patients had measurable hearing before and after SRT and 43.5% of patients showed change in pure tone average less than 10 dB, 82.6% less than 20 dB at the last follow-up examination. Facial and trigeminal nerve function was evaluated in 41 patients. Transient facial weakness developed in 4.8% and trigeminal neuropathy in 9.6% of irradiated cases. We consider that SRT complications are less than that of gamma-knife, although the longer follow-up period should be needed. (author)

In the last 60 years, hadron therapy has made great advances passing from a stage of pure research to a well-established treatment modality for solid tumours. In this paper the history of hadron therapy accelerators is reviewed, starting from the first cyclotrons used in the thirties for neutron therapy and passing to more modern and flexible machines used nowadays. The technical developments have been accompanied by clinical studies that allowed the selection of the tumours which are more sensitive to this type of radiotherapy. This paper aims at giving a review of the origin and the present status of hadron therapy accelerators, describing the technological basis and the continuous development of this application to medicine of instruments developed for fundamental science. At the end the present challenges are reviewed.

This review article focuses on clinically relevant radioprotectors and their mechanisms of radioprotection. Radiotherapy is the most common modality of human cancer therapy. Obtaining optimal results requires a judicious balance between the total dose of radiotherapy delivered and the threshold limit of critical surrounding normal tissues, and the normal tissues need to be protected against radiation injury to obtain better tumor control by using a higher dose. For this reason, radiation-protective agents play an important role in clinical radiotherapy. Radiation-protective agents can be classified into three groups: radioprotectors, adaptogens, and absorbents. The first group generally consists of sulfhydryl compounds and other antioxidants. They include several myelo-, entero-, and cerebro-protectors. Adaptogens act as promotors of radioresistance. They are natural protectors that offer chemical protection against low levels of ionizing radiation. Absorbents protect organs from internal radiation and chemicals. They include drugs that prevent incorporation of radioiodine by the thyroid gland and absorption of radionuclides. This article thoroughly describes the properties, mechanisms of action, and perspectives on clinical application of the following categories of radioprotectors: sulfhydryl compounds (e.g., cysteine, cysteamine, glutathione, AET, WR 2127, and other WR-compounds), antioxidants (e.g., tempace, Hoechst 33342, vitamin A, E, and C, TMG, melatonin), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (e.g., captopril, elanopril, penicillamine, pentoxifylline, L-158, 809), cytoprotective agents (mesna, dexrazoxane, and amifostin), metalloelements (e.g., manganese chloride, cadmium salts, bismuth subnitrate), immunomodulators (gamma-interferon, polysaccharides AM5, AM218, heat-killed lactobacillus cells, broncho-vaxom, trehalose dicorynomycolate, and AS101), lipopolysaccharides and prostaglandins, plant extracts and compounds isolated from plants (curcmin

Dosimetry, through a film sandwiched in a transverse cross-section of a solid phantom, is a method of choice in Conformal Radiotherapy because: (a) the blackness (density) of the film at each point offers a measure of the total dose received at that point, and (b) the film is easily calibrated by exposing a film strip in the same cross-section, through a stationary field. The film must therefore have the following properties: (a) it must be slow, in order not to be overexposed, even at a therapeutic dose of 200 cGy, and (b) the response of the film (density versus dose curve) must be independent of the photon energy spectrum. A few slow films were compared. It was found that the Kodak X-Omat V for therapy verification was the best choice. To investigate whether the film response was independent of the photon energy, response curves for six depths, starting from the depth of maximum dose to the depth of 25 cm, in solid phantom were derived. The vertical beam was perpendicular to the anterior surface of the phantom, which was at the distance of 100 cm from the source and the field was 15x15 cm at that distance. This procedure was repeated for photon beams emitted by a Cobalt-60 unit, two 6 MV and 15 MV Linear Accelerators, as well as a 45 MV Betatron. For each of those four different beams the film response was the same for all six depths. The results, as shown in the diagrams, are very satisfactory. The response curve under a geometry similar to that actually applied, when the film is irradiated in a transverse cross-section of the phantom, was derived. The horizontal beam was almost parallel (angle of 85) to the plane of the film. The same was repeated with the central ray parallel to the film (angle 90) and at a distance of 1.5 cm from the horizontal film. The field size was again 15x15 at the lateral entrance surface of the beam. The response curves remained the same, as when the beam was perpendicular to the films.

Electron energy and angular distributions and associated effects for radiotherapyaccelerators and beta -ray ophthalmic applicators have been measured and modeled. Ophthalmic applicator extrapolation chamber calibration geometries were studied using Monte Carlo calculations and analytic methods. A large interface effect increases the surface dose by a factor of about 1.5 and makes very small gap width measurements necessary (0.1-0.2 mm). Dose deposition in tissue near the surface was simulated using the Monte Carlo technique. Charge collection in the extrapolation chamber was analytically modeled on the basis of ionized free electrons back-diffusing into the cathode, while taking into account attachment to O_2 ions. Previous models underpredict the charge loss, mainly because they assume that all the charge carriers are ions. Two small, portable, magnetic spectrometers for the measurement of clinical radiotherapy electron beams were constructed. One employs film as a spectrograph and is suitable for routine measurements; the second is a 90^circ single-focusing spectrometer and uses fast pulse counting electronics and pulse-height analysis. Tests with monoenergetic electron beams at the National Research Council of Canada's electron linear accelerator showed that the system is free from spectral distortion and verified the spectrometers' energy calibrations. Spectra were measured for the University of Louisville's Theratronics T20 and Philips SL25 linear accelerators. The T20 spectra were all nearly Gaussian in shape with energy widths of about 5%. The SL25 energy spectra were of varied shapes, with energy widths of 10-20%. Evidence of 3-7% shifts in the average energy of the SL25 beams was observed. Angular measurements were made which showed the Gaussian angular spread of the incident beam. The Monte Carlo code CYLTRAN and measured spectra were used to reconstruct depth dose curves. Comparisons with measured depth dose curves show that the peak energy structure

This work presents the methodology used by the radiotherapy department of the Hospital San Javier in the patients handling with pacemaker. By means of dosimetry to the implant area of the pacemaker together with electrocardiography measurements during the radiotherapy sessions, the pacemaker performance is evaluated with the objective of detecting any anomaly to the same caused by electromagnetic interference and/or accumulated dose. It is necessary to follow specific protocols in these patients type that guarantee their security during the exposition to ionizing radiation since a definitive consent that allows to calculate the failure probability of pacemaker in this therapeutic condition does not exist. (Author)

Neutrons produced by 10 MeV medical electronic linear accelerators used for radiotherapy treatments may be harmful for medical personnel and patients. These neutrons are generated by the photon-induced

Radiotherapy plays an important role in treatment of skin tumours. For skin carcinomas, external irradiation (kilo-voltage X-rays or electrons according to clinical characteristics) is more valuable than interstitial brachytherapy, which is recommended for tumours of the lip and of the nasal vestibule. In mycosis fungoides, total cutaneous electron beam radiation therapy is efficient for patients with limited superficial plaques. In the classical form of Kaposi`s sarcoma, radiotherapy can achieve local control-whereas it obtains good palliative results in the epidemic form. (author)

We construct four dimensional gauge theories in which the successful supersymmetric unification of gauge couplings is preserved but accelerated by N-fold replication of the MSSM gauge and Higgs structure. This results in a low unification scale of $10^{13/N}$ TeV.

This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Advanced Radiotherapy Research Program for calendar year 2001. Applications of supportive research and development, as well as technology deployment in the fields of chemistry, radiation physics and dosimetry, and neutron source design and demonstration are described. Contributions in the fields of physics and biophysics include development of advanced patient treatment planning software, feasibility studies of accelerator neutron source technology for Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT), and completion of major modifications to the research reactor at Washington State University to produce an epithermal-neutron beam for NCT research applications.

This report summarizes the major activities and accomplishments of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) Advanced Radiotherapy Research Program for calendar year 2001. Applications of supportive research and development, as well as technology deployment in the fields of chemistry, radiation physics and dosimetry, and neutron source design and demonstration are described. Contributions in the fields of physics and biophysics include development of advanced patient treatment planning software, feasibility studies of accelerator neutron source technology for Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT), and completion of major modifications to the research reactor at Washington State University to produce an epithermal-neutron beam for NCT research applications.

The authors describe the process followed for the implementation of an image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) in a radiotherapy department. Two Synergy linear accelerators have been selected to introduce this technique using the low-energy conical tomography and the intensity-induced conformational radiotherapy with arc therapy. This implementation comprised the presentation of the equipment to physicians and operators, education by the manufacturer, the development of procedures of determination of the number of volume acquisition per patient and per site, the choice of displacement vectors. Short communication

Patients with beta thalassaemia may develop a specific osteoarthropathy involving the feet. A number of different treatments for this condition have been tried, including rest, analgesia and hypertransfusion. We report a case of a patient with thalassaemic osteoarthropathy who responded to radiotherapy after failing conventional treatment. (author).

As the special machines that can accelerate charged particle beams to high energy by using electromagnetic fields, particle accelerators have been widely applied in scientific research and various areas of society. The development of particle accelerators in China started in the early 1950s. After a brief review of the history of accelerators, this article describes in the following sections: particle colliders, heavy-ion accelerators, high-intensity proton accelerators, accelerator-based light sources, pulsed power accelerators, small scale accelerators, accelerators for applications, accelerator technology development and advanced accelerator concepts. The prospects of particle accelerators in China are also presented.

One of the major motivations driving recent interest in FFAGs is their use for the cost-effective acceleration of muons. This paper summarizes the progress in this area that was achieved leading up to and at the FFAG workshop at KEK from July 7-12, 2003. Much of the relevant background and references are also given here, to give a context to the progress we have made.

The fundamental idea of Laser Wakefield Acceleration (LWFA) is reviewed. An ultrafast intense laser pulse drives coherent wakefield with a relativistic amplitude robustly supported by the plasma. While the large amplitude of wakefields involves collective resonant oscillations of the eigenmode of the entire plasma electrons, the wake phase velocity ˜ c and ultrafastness of the laser pulse introduce the wake stability and rigidity. A large number of worldwide experiments show a rapid progress of this concept realization toward both the high-energy accelerator prospect and broad applications. The strong interest in this has been spurring and stimulating novel laser technologies, including the Chirped Pulse Amplification, the Thin Film Compression, the Coherent Amplification Network, and the Relativistic Mirror Compression. These in turn have created a conglomerate of novel science and technology with LWFA to form a new genre of high field science with many parameters of merit in this field increasing exponentially lately. This science has triggered a number of worldwide research centers and initiatives. Associated physics of ion acceleration, X-ray generation, and astrophysical processes of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays are reviewed. Applications such as X-ray free electron laser, cancer therapy, and radioisotope production etc. are considered. A new avenue of LWFA using nanomaterials is also emerging.

Our experience with a hard-docking applicator system for intraoperative electron-beam radiotherapy is described. In the introduction, we review the configuration options of the applicator systems. In the following section, the applicator system us ed and the methods of measurement are described. The dosimetric characterization, some problems related to the system and the solutions we adopted are shown in results. Finally, the dosimetric behavior is discussed developing a consistent theoretical explanation. (Author)

Full Text Available Erminia Infusino Department of Radiotherapy, Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital, Rome, Italy Abstract: RapidArcTM is a radiation technique that delivers highly conformal dose distributions through the complete rotation (360° and speed variation of the linear accelerator gantry. This technique, called volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT, compared with conventional radiotherapy techniques, can achieve high-target volume coverage and sparing damage to normal tissues. RapidArc delivers precise dose distribution and conformity similar to or greater than intensity-modulated radiation therapy in a short time, generally a few minutes, to which image-guided radiation therapy is added. RapidArc has become a currently used technology in many centers, which use RapidArc technology to treat a large number of patients. Large and small hospitals use it to treat the most challenging cases, but more and more frequently for the most common cancers. The clinical use of RapidArc and VMAT technology is constantly growing. At present, a limited number of clinical data are published, mostly concerning planning and feasibility studies. Clinical outcome data are increasing for a few tumor sites, even if only a little. The purpose of this work is to discuss the current status of VMAT techniques in clinical use through a review of the published data of planning systems and clinical outcomes in several tumor sites. The study consisted of a systematic review based on analysis of manuscripts retrieved from the PubMed, BioMed Central, and Scopus databases by searching for the keywords "RapidArc", "Volumetric modulated arc radiotherapy", and "Intensity-modulated radiotherapy". Keywords: IMRT, VMAT, SBRT, SRS, treatment planning software

In this paper, standing back--looking from afar--and adopting a historical perspective, the field of accelerator science is examined. How it grew, what are the forces that made it what it is, where it is now, and what it is likely to be in the future are the subjects explored. Clearly, a great deal of personal opinion is invoked in this process.

The need to establish conditions for safe irradiation was noted in Poland back in 1986 in the Atomic Law, but for over 16 years no regulations regarding this aspect were passed. The radiological incident in Bialystok (Poland) in 2001 undeniably accelerated the implementation of new legal regulations. Nevertheless, in the absence of national guidelines until 2002, most health care institutions resorted to the quality management system (QMS) model proposed by the ISO norm 9001:2000. Eventually, practice proved the theory and the aforementioned model was also implemented into Polish acts of law defining basic requirements for QMS in radiotherapy. The aim of this work is to review current national regulations regarding QMS in radiotherapy, in particular those referring to standard procedures, the establishment of a commission for procedures and performance of external and internal clinical audits in oncological radiotherapy, as well as to present the process of their implementation into the practice of health care institutions.

Carbon-ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) possesses physical and biological advantages. It was started at NIRS in 1994 using the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC); since then more than 50 protocol studies have been conducted on almost 4000 patients with a variety of tumors. Clinical experiences have demonstrated that C-ion RT is effective in such regions as the head and neck, skull base, lung, liver, prostate, bone and soft tissues, and pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer, as well as for histological types including adenocarcinoma, adenoid cystic carcinoma, malignant melanoma and various types of sarcomas, against which photon therapy could be less effective. Furthermore, when compared with photon and proton RT, a significant reduction of overall treatment time and fractions has been accomplished without enhancing toxicities. Currently, the number of irradiation sessions per patient averages 13 fractions spread over approximately three weeks. This means that in a carbon therapy facility a larger number of patients than is possible with other modalities can be treated over the same period of time.

Aims of radiation oncology are cure from malignant diseases and - at the same time preservation of anatomy (e.g. female breast, uterus, prostate) and organ functions (e.g. brain, eye, voice, sphincter ani). At present, methods and results of clinical radiotherapy (RT) are based on experiences with natural history and radiobiology of malignant tumors in properly defined situations as well as on technical developments since World War II in geometrical and biological treatment planning in teletherapy and brachytherapy. Radiobiological research revealed tolerance limits of healthy tissues to be respected, effective total treatment doses of high cure probability depending on histology and tumor volume, and - more recently - altered fractionation schemes to be adapted to specific growth fractions and intrinsic radiosensitivities of clonogenic tumor cells. In addition, Biological Response Modifiers (BRM), such as cis-platinum, oxygen and hyperthermia may steepen cell survival curves of hypoxic tumor cells, others - such as tetrachiordekaoxid (TCDO) - may enhance repair of normal tissues. Computer assisted techniques in geometrical RT-planning based on individual healthy and pathologic anatomy (CT, MRT) provide high precision RT for well defined brain lesions by using dedicated linear accelerators (Stereotaxy). CT-based individual tissue compensators help with homogenization of distorted dose distributions in magna field irradiation for malignant lymphomas and with total body irradiation (TBI) before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, e.g. for leukemia. RT with fast neutrons, Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), RT with protons and heavy ions need to be tested in randomized trials before implementation into clinical routine.

On the inside of the cavitytThere is a layer of niobium. Operating at 4.2 degrees above absolute zero, the niobium is superconducting and carries an accelerating field of 6 million volts per metre with negligible losses. Each cavity has a surface of 6 m2. The niobium layer is only 1.2 microns thick, ten times thinner than a hair. Such a large area had never been coated to such a high accuracy. A speck of dust could ruin the performance of the whole cavity so the work had to be done in an extremely clean environment.

The degree to which impact acceleration is an important factor in space flight environments depends primarily upon the technology of capsule landing deceleration and the weight permissible for the associated hardware: parachutes or deceleration rockets, inflatable air bags, or other impact attenuation systems. The problem most specific to space medicine is the potential change of impact tolerance due to reduced bone mass and muscle strength caused by prolonged weightlessness and physical inactivity. Impact hazards, tolerance limits, and human impact tolerance related to space missions are described.

In this study, the MCNP5 code was used to model radiotherapy room of a medical linear accelerator operating at 18 MV and to evaluate the neutron and the secondary gamma ray fluences, the energy spectra and the dose equivalent distributions inside a liquid tissue-equivalent (TE) phantom. The obtained results were compared with measured data published in the literature. Moreover, the shielding effects of various neutron material shields on the radiotherapy room wall were also investigated. Our simulation results showed that paraffin wax containing boron carbide presents enough effectiveness to reduce both neutron and secondary gamma ray doses. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The Monte Carlo method has been used to model radiotherapy room of a 18 MV linear accelerator. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The neutron and the gamma ray dose equivalent distributions inside a liquid (TE) phantom were evaluated. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The radiotherapy room shielding performance has been also investigated.

Pediatric sarcomas represent a distinct group of pathologies, with approximately 900 new cases per year in the United States alone. Radiotherapy plays an integral role in the local control of these tumors, which often arise adjacent to critical structures and growing organs. The physical properties of proton beam radiotherapy provide a distinct advantage over standard photon radiation by eliminating excess dose deposited beyond the target volume, thereby reducing both the dose of radiation delivered to non-target structures as well as the total radiation dose delivered to a patient. Dosimetric studies comparing proton plans to IMRT and 3D conformal radiation have demonstrated the superiority of protons in numerous pediatric malignancies and data on long-term clinical outcomes and toxicity is emerging. In this article, we review the existing clinical and dosimetric data regarding the use of proton beam radiation in malignant bone and soft tissue sarcomas.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review summarizes the available evidence for the use of modern radiotherapy techniques for chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer, with specific focus on intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and volumetric arc therapy (VMAT) techniques. RECENT FINDINGS: The dosimetric....... Overall results are encouraging, as toxicity levels - although varying across reports - appear lower than for 3D conformal radiotherapy. Innovative treatment techniques and strategies which may be facilitated by the use of IMRT/VMAT include simultaneously integrated tumour boost, adaptive treatment...

Objective: To compare the 5-year survival rates and complications of internal and external irradiation therapy combined with operation in patients with Ⅱ-Ⅲ period of cervical cancer.Methods: 162 cervical cancer patients after the whole palace resection pelvic lymphadenectomy were divided into three groups, and then accepted radiotherapy.The first group with 91 cases was accepted internal and external irradiation therapy before operation; the second group with 37 cases was given internal irradiation therapy before operation; the third group with 34 cases was given routine postoperative radiotherapy.External irradiation used 60Co irradiation or a linear accelerator, to the whole basin, and the irradiation dose of "B" point in preoperative radiotherapy was 26-30 Gy, in postoperative radiotherapy was 46-50 Gy; intraluminal brachytherapy used 192lr,the dose of "A" point was 5-15 Gy.Results: The 5-year survival rate of preoperative combined radiotherapy group was 78.0%(71/91), preoperative intracavitary radiotherapy group 64.9% (24/37), and postoperative radiotherapy group 35.3% (12/34).Comparing the 5-year survival rates of the preoperative combined and postoperative irradiation groups, there was significant difference (P＜0.05).The major complications were radioactive proctitis and cystitis, the complication incidences of three groups were 35.2% (32/91), 32.4% (12/37), 38.2% (13/34), respectively, and the differences were not statistically significant (P＞0.05).Conclusion: The intraluminal brachytherapy plus external irradiation can significantly increase the 5-year survival rate of patients with Ⅱa-Ⅲa stages, and the incidence of complications was not significant difference.

The aim of palliative radiotherapy for the terminally ill is to improve the quality of the remaining span of life. From November 1982 to September 1987, 69 patients in the Seirei Hospice have been treated with such radiotherapy, and symptomatic relief was obtained in 64% of these patients. Radiotherapy also proved useful in achieving an improvement in their performance status. While the aim of hospice care is not directed towards treatment of the underlying disease, the use of radiotherapy is considered to have an important role in hospice care.

Full Text Available Background & Objective: Radiotherapy has a very special significance in the treatment of cancer. Beam radiation therapy using photons and electrons produced by a linear accelerator is used extensively in the treatment of breast Cancer. In this article, In addition to providing a description of three techniques of radiotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer, has been Evaluating the effectiveness of this method in the base of uniformity of the dose distribution in the target volume in breast cancer as an important factor in the effectiveness of treatment by radiation.Materials & Methods: Photon, electron and arc Techniques in radiotherapy have been implemented practically using phantom trunk and EDRII films. At the time of practical Techniques, films were placed between the slice of the phantom and were irradiated under selected conditions and the data of these images are analyzed by MATLAB software.Results: Studies show that as a result of using adjacent fields in whole radiotherapy techniques, Parts of the target volume received dose twice or more than the prescribed dose. Meanwhile, by the photon dose technique, rate of receiving dose is more uniform and closer to the prescribed dose.Conclusion: According to scientific studies done by different protocols in breast radiotherapy, tangential photon technique has very less overlap of the field by comparison to other methods and more uniform dose distribution than the prescribed dose .In The base of this research results can be announced the photon techniques in breast cancer treatment was preferred over other methods.

textabstractPurpose: The CyberKnife (CK), a linear accelerator mounted on a robotic device, enables excellent dose conformation to the target and minimizes dose to surrounding normal tissue. It is a very suitable device for performing hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy as monotherapy fo

Purpose: This patterns-of-care study was performed to define the current clinical experience with radiotherapy of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in adults in Germany and to define open questions resulting from this study. Material and Methods: A standardized questionnaire was sent to 198 German radiotherapy institutions. Data about patient characteristics, stage of disease, practice and fractionation of radiotherapy, outcome of therapy, etc. were systematically evaluated. 123 of 198 institutions answered the complete questionnaire (62.1%). Results: Only 23 of the 123 institutions (18.7%) reported experience with radiotherapy of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis of adults. 18 institutions with 98 patients were evaluable. The majority of patients (72 of 98) was treated on a linear accelerator. The median single dose of radiotherapy was 2 Gy, while the median total dose was 24 Gy. 81 of 89 evaluable patients (91%) reached a local control of the treated lesion(s), 69 of those had a complete remission. Eight of 89 patients (9%) developed an in-field recurrence. 87.8% of patients experienced no acute and 97% of patients no late side effects of radiotherapy. Conclusion: Clinical experience with radiotherapy of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis in adults in Germany is still very limited. Nevertheless, the clinical results - with high remission and local control rates - confirm the effectiveness of radiotherapy in the multidisciplinary treatment of this disease. Due to the small number of patients in this study despite higher incidence rates, the knowledge of this disease has to be multiplied in Germany. Future patients should be systematically included into a prospective radiotherapy registry. (orig.)

To evaluate outcome and morbidity in patients with vulvar cancer treated with radiotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy or postoperative radiotherapy. The records of 24 patients treated with radiotherapy for vulvar cancer between July 1993 and September 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received once daily 1.8-4 Gy fractions external beam radiotherapy to median 51.2 Gy (range, 19.8 to 81.6 Gy) on pelvis and inguinal nodes. Seven patients were treated with primary concurrent chemoradiotherapy, one patient was treated with primary radiotherapy alone, four patients received palliative radiotherapy, and twelve patients were treated with postoperative radiotherapy. Twenty patients were eligible for response evaluation. Response rate was 55% (11/20). The 5-year disease free survival was 42.2% and 5-year overall survival was 46.2%, respectively. Fifty percent (12/24) experienced with acute skin complications of grade III or more during radiotherapy. Late complications were found in 8 patients. 50% (6/12) of patients treated with lymph node dissection experienced severe late complications. One patient died of sepsis from lymphedema. However, only 16.6% (2/12) of patients treated with primary radiotherapy developed late complications. Outcome of patients with vulvar cancer treated with radiotherapy showed relatively good local control and low recurrence. Severe late toxicities remained higher in patients treated with both node dissection and radiotherapy.

The use of conformal therapy is based on 3-dimensional treatment planning as well as on methods and routines for 3-dimensional patient mapping, 3-dimensional virtual simulation and others. The management of patients at the Radiotherapy Department at the University Hospital in Lund (Sweden) is discussed. About 2100 new patients are annually treated with external radiotherapy using seven linear accelerators. Three of the accelerators have dual photon energies and electron treatment facilities. A multi-leaf collimator as well as an electronic portal imaging device are available on one machine. Two simulators and an in-house CT-scanner are used for treatment planning. From 1988 to 1992 Scandiplan (Umplan) was used. Since 1992, the treatment planning system is TMS (HELAX AB, Sweden), which is based on the pencil beam algorithm of Ahnesjo. The calculations use patient modulated accelerator specific energy fluence spectra which are compiled with pencil beams from Monte Carlo generated energy absorption kernels. Heterogeneity corrections are performed with results close to conventional algorithms. Irregular fields, either from standard or individual blocks and from multi-leaf collimators are handled by the treatment planning system. The field shape is determined conveniently using the beam`s eye view. The final field shape is exported electronically to either the block cutting machine or the multileaf collimator control computer. All patient fields are checked against the beam`s eye view during simulation using manual methods. Treatment verification is performed by portal films and in vivo dosimetry with silicon diodes or TL-dosimetry. Up to now, approximately 4400 patients have received a highly individualized 3-dimensional conformal treatment.

This volume collects a series of lectures presented at the tenth ESI School held at Archamps (FR) in November 2007 and dedicated to radiotherapy and brachytherapy. The lectures focus on the multiple facets of radiotherapy in general, including external radiotherapy (often called teletherapy) as well as internal radiotherapy (called brachytherapy). Radiotherapy strategy and dose management as well as the decisive role of digital imaging in the associated clinical practice are developed in several articles. Grouped under the discipline of Conformal Radiotherapy (CRT), numerous modern techniques, from Multi-Leaf Collimators (MLC) to Intensity Modulated RadioTherapy (IMRT), are explained in detail. The importance of treatment planning based upon patient data from digital imaging (Computed Tomography) is also underlined. Finally, despite the quasi- totality of patients being presently treated with gamma and X-rays, novel powerful tools are emerging using proton and light ions (like carbon ions) beams, bound to bec...

The proton radiotherapy facility for the eye melanoma treatment is under development at the Henryk Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Krakow. The facility uses protons, accelerated by the AIC-144 isochronous cyclotron up to the energy of 60 MeV. The infrastructure and all necessary equipment have been already installed. The paper describes the present status of the facility, gives results of the preliminary beam measurements and shows future perspectives.

In early stage Hodgkin's disease the optimal choice of treatment for the individual patient is still an unresolved issue. So far, twenty-two randomized trials of radiotherapy alone versus radiotherapy plus combination chemotherapy have been carried out worldwide. The preliminary results of a glob...

Radiotherapy is a key cancer treatment, which greatly modified its practice in recent years thanks to medical imaging and technical improvements. The systematic use of computed tomography (CT) for treatment planning, the imaging fusion/co-registration between CT/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT/positron emission tomography (PET) improve target identification/selection and delineation. New irradiation techniques such as image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), stereotactic radiotherapy or hadron therapy offer a more diverse therapeutic armamentarium to patients together with lower toxicity. Radiotherapy, as well as medical oncology, tends to offer a personalized treatment to patients thanks to the IGRT, which takes into account the inter- or intra-fraction anatomic variations. IGRT leads to adaptive radiotherapy (ART) with a new planification in the treatment course in order to decrease toxicity and improve tumor control. The use of systemic therapies with radiations needs to be studied in order to improve efficiency without increasing toxicities from these multimodal approaches. Finally, radiotherapy advances were impacted by radiotherapy accidents like Epinal. They led to an increased quality control with the intensification of identity control, the emergence of in vivo dosimetry or the experience feedback committee in radiotherapy. We will illustrate through the example of lung cancer.

The first text to focus solely on quality and safety in radiotherapy, this work encompasses not only traditional, more technically oriented, quality assurance activities, but also general approaches of quality and safety. It includes contributions from experts both inside and outside the field to present a global view. The task of assuring quality is no longer viewed solely as a technical, equipment-dependent endeavor. Instead, it is now recognized as depending on both the processes and the people delivering the service. Divided into seven broad categories, the text covers: Quality Management

The author has systematically collected and collated the scientific literature correlating the basic and clinical sciences in this field in order to produce a definitive treatise. The book thoroughly reviews the biology and biochemistry relevant to radiobiology and describes the critical locus for the extinction of cell reproductive capacity. Extensive coverage is given to oxygen effect, hyperthermia, high linear energy transfer, cell populations, and similar topics. Separate sections cover time, dose, and fractionation; radiation hematology; cancer chemotherapy; and cancer immunology. The book also contains invaluable discussions of techniques for optimizing radiotherapy alone and in combination with other therapies.

This book is a concise and well-illustrated review of the physics and biology of radiation therapy intended for radiation oncology residents, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, and physicists. It presents topics that are included on the Radiation Therapy Physics and Biology examinations and is designed with the intent of presenting information in an easily digestible format with maximum retention in mind. The inclusion of mnemonics, rules of thumb, and reader-friendly illustrations throughout the book help to make difficult concepts easier to grasp. Basic Radiotherapy Physics and Biology is a

The decision to offer radiotherapy in patients with connective tissue diseases continues to be challenging. Radiotherapy might trigger the onset of connective tissue diseases by increasing the expression of self-antigens, diminishing regulatory T-cell activity, and activating effectors of innate immunity (dendritic cells) through Toll-like receptor-dependent mechanisms, all of which could potentially lead to breaks of immune tolerance. This potential risk has raised some debate among radiation oncologists about whether patients with connective tissue diseases can tolerate radiation as well as people without connective tissue diseases. Because the number of patients with cancer and connective tissue diseases needing radiotherapy will probably increase due to improvements in medical treatment and longer life expectancy, the issue of interactions between radiotherapy and connective tissue diseases needs to be clearer. In this Review, we discuss available data and evidence for patients with connective tissue diseases treated with radiotherapy.

In 2000, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (N.R.P.A.) initiated work to develop a national quality assurance programme in radiotherapy. The program was named K.V.I.S.T.: i.e. Norwegian abbreviation of Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy (KValitetSikring STraleterapi). The programme is performed by the multidisciplinary K.V.I.S.T. Group and aims to stimulate collaboration by focussing on clinical, technical and administrative problems that can be addressed and solved on a national level. An important objective is to establish a positive attitude towards quality assurance and better communication between centres and the various professions and professionals involved in radiotherapy, i.e. the oncologists, medical physicists and radiation therapy technologists. Information is also provided to other stake holders such as health authorities, hospital administrators and patients. In 2007 radiotherapy in Norway represent 10 departments and forty accelerators. Since radiotherapy is given high priority in cancer care good quality assurance is required. The member of the K.V.I.S.T.-group are part time at N.R.P.A. and part time in different radiotherapy departments. Professionals with competencies within radiotherapy (R.T.) have permanent positions in a national public entity. The K.V.I.S.T.-group is multidisciplinary. The K.V.I.S.T.-group acts as a coordinating group for all type of national Q.A. projects. The recommendations/guidelines are developed by national consensus. The work is performed by the radiotherapy community it self, thus creating an atmosphere of ownership. (N.C.)

The mathematical models in this book are concerned with a variety of approaches to the manner in which the clinical radiologic treatment of human neoplasms can be improved. These improvements comprise ways of delivering radiation to the malignan­ cies so as to create considerable damage to tumor cells while sparing neighboring normal tissues. There is no unique way of dealing with these improvements. Accord­ ingly, in this book a number of different presentations are given. Each presentation has as its goal some aspect of the improvement, or optimization, of radiotherapy. This book is a collection of current ideas concerned with the optimization of human cancer radiotherapy. It is hoped that readers will build on this collection and develop superior approaches for the understanding of the ways to improve therapy. The author owes a special debt of thanks to Kathy Prindle who breezed through the typing of this book with considerable dexterity. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Introduction 1...

The SSDL network of the IAEA performs, every year, quality audit tests for radiotherapy services ({sup 60} Co units and linear accelerators), and for national SSDL as well. Because of the SSDL-Mexico results in these tests and due to our enthusiasm and confidence in our work, a parallel test has been done , which is described in this talk as well as the results. Nowadays, a second parallel test goes up, which could confirm our optimism and open the possibility to our country to start a national dosimetric audit of {sup 60} Co radiotherapy units. (Author)

Purpose: patients undergoing radiotherapy have physical and psychological symptoms related to the underlying disease and the treatment. In order to give the best possible support to the patients, more knowledge about the amount and the changing of distress in the course of radiotherapy is of essentially importance. Methods: The distress was measured in a consecutive sample of cancer patients (n=82) undergoing radiotherapy. Each patient was given the EORTC-QLQ-C30, the HADS and a special questionnaire which ascertain radiotherapy-specific items before starting the radiotherapy, at the onset of radiotherapy, in the third week of radiotherapy and 3 weeks after the end of radiotherapy. Results: within the first week of treatment the psychological distress of the patients is increasing; 98.8 % of the patients are 'moderate distressed', 46 % 'severe distressed'. General physical symptoms seem not to be affected by the radiotherapy, there is no changing. The distress caused by the organization of the radiotherapy is...

The purpose of the present investigation was to quantify cell flux between the distinct layers of the epithelial lining of the ventral surface of mouse tongue during daily fractionated radiotherapy. In tongue epithelium of untreated mice, the minimum residence time of cells in the germinal layer is 2-3 days. Migration through the functional layers requires an additional 2-3 days before labelled cells are observed in the most superficial layer of nucleated cells. A plateau in LI is observed for several days post-labelling in control epithelium, indicating an equilibrium between loss and proliferation of labelled cells. During fractionated radiotherapy, the minimum time from division to occurrence of labelled cells in the stratum lucidum is less than 2 days, and hence significantly shorter than in control epithelium. In contrast to untreated epithelium, no plateau in the germinal layer LI is seen, indicating that frequently both labelled daughters from dividing labelled cells are being lost from this compartment. In conclusion, the present data support a recently described model of radiation-induced accelerated repopulation in squamous epithelia, which postulates that the majority of damaged cells undergoes abortive divisions resulting in two differentiating daughters. (Author).

Full Text Available It is well known that medical linear accelerators generate activation products when operated above certain electron (photon energies. The aim of the present work is to assess the activation behavior of a medium-energy radiotherapy linear accelerator by applying in situ gamma-ray spectrometry and dose measurements, and to estimate the additional dose to radiotherapy staff on the basis of these results. Spectral analysis was performed parallel to dose rate measurements in the isocenter of the linear accelerator, immediately after the termination of irradiation. The following radioisotopes were detected by spectral analysis: 28Al, 62Cu, 56Mn, 64Cu, 187W, and 57Ni. The short-lived isotopes such as 28Al and 62Cu are the most important factors of the clinical routine, while the contribution to the radiation dose of medium-lived isotopes such as 56Mn, 57Ni, 64Cu, and 187W increases during the working day. Measured dose rates at the isocenter ranged from 2.2 µSv/h to 10 µSv/h in various measuring points of interest for the members of the radiotherapy staff. Within the period of 10 minutes, the dose rate decreased to values of 0.8 µSv/h. According to actual workloads in radiotherapy departments, a realistic exposure scenario was set, resulting in a maximal additional annual whole body dose to the radiotherapy staff of about 3.5 mSv.

AIM: To assess the efficacy and toxicity of conformal radiotherapy (CRT) and compare with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in the treatment of gallbladder cancer.METHODS: Between November 2003 and January 2010, 20 patients with gallbladder cancer were treated with CRT with or without chemotherapy after surgical resection. Preliminary survival data were collected and examined using both Kaplan-Meier and actuarial analysis. Demographic and treatment parameters were collected. All patients were planned to receive 46-56 Gy in 1.8 or 2.0 Gy per fraction. CRT planning was compared with IMRT.RESULTS: The most common reported acute toxicities requiring medication (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Grade2) were nausea (10/20 patients) and diarrhea (3/20).There were no treatment-related deaths. Compared with CRT planning, IMRT significantly reduced the volume of right kidney receiving > 20 Gy and the volume of liver receiving > 30 Gy. IMRT has a negligible impact on the volume of left kidney receiving > 20 Gy. The 95% of prescribed dose for a planning tumor volume using either 3D CRT or IMRT planning were 84.0% ±6.7%, 82.9% ± 6.1%, respectively (P > 0.05).CONCLUSION: IMRT achieves similar excellent target coverage as compared with CRT planning, while reducingthe mean liver dose and volume above threshold dose. IMRT offers better sparing of the right kidney compared with CRT planning, with a significantly lower mean dose and volume above threshold dose.

Esophageal cancer is one of the most common cancers in China. More than 80% of esophageal cancer patients are diagnosed at a late stage and are not eligible for surgery. Radiotherapy is one of the most important modalities in esophageal cancer treatment. Here we reviewed the advances in esophageal cancer radiotherapy and radiotherapy-based combined-modality therapy, such as optimization of radiation dose and target volume, application of precise radiotherapy technique and the integration of radiotherapy with chemotherapy and targeted therapy.

A combined system comprising the TrueBeam linear accelerator and a new real-time tumour-tracking radiotherapy system, SyncTraX, was installed at our institution. The objectives of this study are to develop a method for the verification of respiratory-gated radiotherapy with SyncTraX using cine electronic portal image device (EPID) images and a log file and to verify this treatment in clinical cases. Respiratory-gated radiotherapy was performed using TrueBeam and the SyncTraX system. Cine EPID images and a log file were acquired for a phantom and three patients during the course of the treatment. Digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) were created for each treatment beam using a planning CT set. The cine EPID images, log file, and DRRs were analysed using a developed software. For the phantom case, the accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated to verify the respiratory-gated radiotherapy. For the clinical cases, the intra- and inter-fractional variations of the fiducial marker used as an internal surrogate were calculated to evaluate the gating accuracy and set-up uncertainty in the superior–inferior (SI), anterior–posterior (AP), and left–right (LR) directions. The proposed method achieved high accuracy for the phantom verification. For the clinical cases, the intra- and inter-fractional variations of the fiducial marker were ⩽3 mm and ±3 mm in the SI, AP, and LR directions. We proposed a method for the verification of respiratory-gated radiotherapy with SyncTraX using cine EPID images and a log file and showed that this treatment is performed with high accuracy in clinical cases. This work was partly presented at the 58th Annual meeting of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

A combined system comprising the TrueBeam linear accelerator and a new real-time tumour-tracking radiotherapy system, SyncTraX, was installed at our institution. The objectives of this study are to develop a method for the verification of respiratory-gated radiotherapy with SyncTraX using cine electronic portal image device (EPID) images and a log file and to verify this treatment in clinical cases. Respiratory-gated radiotherapy was performed using TrueBeam and the SyncTraX system. Cine EPID images and a log file were acquired for a phantom and three patients during the course of the treatment. Digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRRs) were created for each treatment beam using a planning CT set. The cine EPID images, log file, and DRRs were analysed using a developed software. For the phantom case, the accuracy of the proposed method was evaluated to verify the respiratory-gated radiotherapy. For the clinical cases, the intra- and inter-fractional variations of the fiducial marker used as an internal surrogate were calculated to evaluate the gating accuracy and set-up uncertainty in the superior-inferior (SI), anterior-posterior (AP), and left-right (LR) directions. The proposed method achieved high accuracy for the phantom verification. For the clinical cases, the intra- and inter-fractional variations of the fiducial marker were ⩽3 mm and ±3 mm in the SI, AP, and LR directions. We proposed a method for the verification of respiratory-gated radiotherapy with SyncTraX using cine EPID images and a log file and showed that this treatment is performed with high accuracy in clinical cases.

Stereotactic radiosurgery has become established as an effective treatment modality for certain non-malignant brain diseases such as arteriovenous malformations. This paper describes an extension of the authors' linear accelerator-based radiosurgical technique to fractionated treatment of intracranial disease. The fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy technique expands the use of the modality by sparing normal cells within the treatment volume thus improving the therapeutic ratio. The first treatment is given using a stereotactic frame both for target localization and patient immobilization. The frame is then removed and subsequent treatments use a standard neurosurgical halo-ring for patient immobilization. The halo-ring is left in place on the skull for the duration of the course of treatment. They describe a sensitive and effective technique for checking the rotational beam parameters and collimator alignment which is used immediately prior to treatment to ensure adequate accuracy of dose delivery to the target volume. (author).

Since 1994, HIMAC has carried out clinical studies and treatments for more than 9000 cancer patients with carbon-ion beams. During the first decade of the HIMAC study, a single beam-wobbling method, adopted as the HIMAC beam-delivery technique, was improved for treatments of moving tumors and for obtaining more conformal dose distribution. During the second decade, a pencil-beam 3D scanning method has been developed toward an “adaptive cancer treatment” for treatments of both static and moving tumors. A new treatment research facility was constructed with HIMAC in order to verify the developed 3D scanning technology through a clinical study that has been successfully conducted since 2011. As the next stage, a compact heavy-ion rotating gantry with a superconducting technology has been developed for the more accurate and shorter-course treatments. The twenty-year development of the heavy-ion radiotherapy technologies including accelerator technologies with HIMAC is reviewed.

The purpose of this medical specialty book, besides presenting the state of the art in clinical radiotherapy and radiooncology, is to explain the basic principles of medical physics and radiobiology. Following a number of chapters on general topics and theory it provides detailed coverage of the individual organ systems, briefly addressing future aspects in the process. The authors relate their view that radiooncology as a medical specialty will continue to be under pressure to change and that it will take continuous innovation to secure its status within the interdisciplinary context around the treatment of cancer patients. The authors of this, the textbook's second edition, have dedicated much space to modern methods and techniques in order to do justice to these developments.

With a view to utilization of CT scan images in radiotherapy, the effective energy and the linearity of four different scanners (Siemens somatom CR, HiQS, Plus and Picker PQ 2000) and two non standard scanners, simulators with CT option (Webb 1990) (Varian Ximatron and Oldelft Simulx CT) has been measured using the method described by White and Speller in 1980. When the linearity relation in presented using the density or the electron density as the abscissa, a blurred area where two different components of equal density or electron density can have two different Hounsfield`s numbers. Using the linearity relation, the density of Rando`s lung heterogeneity is determined. We calculated a treatment planning (TP) using this value and made a comparison between the TP and the real absorbed dose with was measured using diodes. The comparison between the TP and the relative Absorbed doses showed a difference of up to 4.5%.

Purpose: Out-of-field neutron doses resulting from photonuclear interactions in the head of a linear accelerator pose an iatrogenic risk to patients and an occupational risk to personnel during radiotherapy. To quantify neutron production, in-room measurements have traditionally been carried out using Bonner sphere systems (BSS) with activation foils and TLDs. In this work, a recently developed active detector, the nested neutron spectrometer (NNS), was tested in radiotherapy bunkers. Methods: The NNS is designed for easy handling and is more practical than the traditional BSS. Operated in current-mode, the problem of pulse pileup due to high dose-rates is overcome by measuring current, similar to an ionization chamber. In a bunker housing a Varian Clinac 21EX, the performance of the NNS was evaluated in terms of reproducibility, linearity, and dose-rate effects. Using a custom maximum-likelihood expectation–maximization algorithm, measured neutron spectra at various locations inside the bunker were then compared to Monte Carlo simulations of an identical setup. In terms of dose, neutron ambient dose equivalents were calculated from the measured spectra and compared to bubble detector neutron dose equivalent measurements. Results: The NNS-measured spectra for neutrons at various locations in a treatment room were found to be consistent with expectations for both relative shape and absolute magnitude. Neutron fluence-rate decreased with distance from the source and the shape of the spectrum changed from a dominant fast neutron peak near the Linac head to a dominant thermal neutron peak in the moderating conditions of the maze. Monte Carlo data and NNS-measured spectra agreed within 30% at all locations except in the maze where the deviation was a maximum of 40%. Neutron ambient dose equivalents calculated from the authors’ measured spectra were consistent (one standard deviation) with bubble detector measurements in the treatment room. Conclusions: The NNS may

Approximately 40-50% of children with cancer will be irradiated during their treatment. Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (I.M.R.T.) by linear accelerator or helical tomo-therapy improves dose distribution in target volumes and normal tissue sparing. This technology could be particularly useful for pediatric patients to achieve an optimal dose distribution in complex volumes close to critical structures. The use of I.M.R.T. can increase the volume of tissue receiving low-dose radiation, and consequently carcinogenicity in childhood population with a good overall survival and long period of life expectancy. This review will present the current and potential I.M.R.T. indications for cancers in childhood, and discuss the benefits and problems of this technology aiming to define recommendations in the use of I.M.R.T. and specific doses constraints in Pediatrics. (authors)

The NCRP Report No. 151, Structural Shielding Design and Evaluation for Megavoltage X- and Gamma-Ray Radiotherapy Facilities, considers, in shielding calculations for radiotherapy rooms, the use of lead and/or steel to be applied on bunker walls. The NCRP Report calculations were performed foreseeing a better protection of people outside the radiotherapy room. However, contribution of lead and steel to patient dose should be taken into account for radioprotection purposes. This work presents calculations performed by MCNPX code in analyzing the Ambient Dose Equivalent due to neutron, H *(10){sub n}, within a radiotherapy room, in the patients area, considering the use of additional shielding of 1 TVL of lead or 1 TVL of steel, positioned at the inner faces of walls and ceiling of a bunker. The head of the linear accelerator Varian 2100/2300 C/D was modeled working at 18MeV, with 5 x 5 cm{sup 2}, 10 x 10 cm{sup 2}, 20 x 20 cm{sup 2}, 30 x 30 cm{sup 2} and 40 x 40 cm{sup 2} openings for jaws and MLC and operating in eight gantry's angles. This study shows that the use of lead generates an average value of H *(10){sub n} at patients area, 8.02% higher than the expected when using steel. Further studies should be performed based on experimental data for comparison with those from MCNPX simulation. (author)

The use of heavy particles in radiotherapy of tumor volumes is examined. Particles considered are protons, helium ions, heavy ions, negative pions, and fast neutrons. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed. (ACR)

This paper presents historical developments of heavy-ion radiotherapy including discussion of HILAC and HIMAC and discussion of cooperation between Japan and the United States, along with personal reflections.

The skin reaction to radiation is regularly monitored in order to detect enhanced radiosensitivity of the patient, unexpected interactions (e.g. with drugs) or any inadvertent overdosage. It is important to distinguish secondary disease from radiation reaction to provide adequate treatment and to avoid unnecessary discontinuation of radiotherapy. A case of bullous eruption or blisters during radiotherapy of the breast is presented. Differential diagnoses bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris, and bullous impetigo are discussed and treatment described.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in women in the developed world and its incidence in the developing world is on the rise. Management of breast cancer requires a multimodality approach and an integration of the services of surgery, radiation, and medical oncology. Radiotherapy after mastectomy or breast conservation leads to reduction in local recurrence by two-thirds. Recent trials and metaanalyses have also demonstrated overall survival benefit with radiotherapy...

In Dupuytren's contracture grade I by Iselin radiotherapy is indicated. With X-ray half-depth therapy and a total dose of 20.0 Gy the disease could be treated successfully in 82 % of the cases in a sense of inhibition of progression, whereas in 18 % radiotherapy failed. Possibly the results can be improved by increase of the radiation dose and/or modified fractionating.

To investigate efficacy and feasibility of hyperfractionated acceleratedradiotherapy combined with mitomycin C, patients with locally advanced unresectable squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region were administered 64-66 Gy in four weeks and mitomycin C (20 mg/m(2)) on day five. Twenty-

@@ Whole breast radiotherapy afier tumor lumpectomy is based on the premise that that the breast cancer recurrence rate is reduced through the elimination of residual cancer foci in the remaining tissue immediately adjacent to the lumpectomy site and occult multicentric areas of in situ or infiltrating cancer in remote areas of the breast. The relevance of remote foci to ipsilateral breast failure rates after breast conserving treatment is debatable, because 65%～100% of recurrences develop in the same quadrant as the initial tumor. This has led several investigators to question whether radiotherapy must be administered to the entire breast.

Purpose: This is the first Brazilian study intended to evaluate the response of pain relief with radiotherapy in three different fractionation and the clinical differences in managing pain in patients with painful bone metastases. Methods: Prospective study of patients with painful bone metastases referred to the Radiotherapy Sector of the Hospital de Cancer de Barretos for pain-relieving radiotherapy between March and December 2010. It is known that radiotherapy seems to alter the activation of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, relieving pain in cases of painful bone metastases. Patients were assessed in relation to the status of pain intensity before and after the initiation of radiotherapy. Either a single fraction of 8Gy, five fractions of 4Gy or ten fractions of 3Gy were given. A visual analog scale (VAS) was applied by doctors, nurses and nursing technicians to assess pain intensity at each session of radiotherapy, and follow-up at 8, 30 and 90 days from the end of treatment. Results: We evaluated 92 consecutive patients, 48 male and 44 female, with a median age of 58 years. We found that 14% of patients referred from the Palliative Care or Clinical Oncology sectors need better pharmacological analgesia due to severe pain, compared with 40.5% of patients from the other sectors (p = 0.004). We also found that the onset of pain relief to patients receiving 10 fractions of 300cGy analgesia without changing the pre-radiotherapy analgesia occurred with significance after the fifth fraction. Improvement in pain experienced within 90 days of follow-up was found in eighty percent of patients, independent of fractionated radiotherapy, site of metastases and the clinical condition of the patient. Discussion/Conclusion: The Palliative Care and Clinical Oncology sectors expressed greater concern in regards to analgesia for the patient with painful bone metastases. Radiotherapy is an effective pain-relieving treatment in different fractionation studied, even though the

Radiotherapy for bone metastases represents an important part of daily practice in our departments of radiotherapy. Majority of treatments deliver either one fraction (6 to 10 Gy) or multi-fractions mainly using 30 Gy in ten fractions. In the past decade, several randomized trials aimed to determine the optimal scheme of radiotherapy in this setting. In the present review, the efficacy of radiotherapy on bone metastases will be evaluated using the following parameters: the partial or complete responses on pain, the reduction of antalgic intake, bone re-calcification, and need for reirradiation. Other parameters must also be considered, such as the primary site, number of metastasis, performance status, overall prognosis and side effects of radiotherapy. (authors)

Spatially fractionated radiotherapy (GRID) was designed to treat large tumors while sparing skin, and it is usually delivered with a linear accelerator using a commercially available block or multileaf collimator (LINAC-GRID). For deep-seated (skin to tumor distance (> 8 cm)) tumors, it is always a challenge to achieve adequate tumor dose coverage. A novel method to perform GRID treatment using helical tomotherapy (HT-GRID) was developed at our institution. Our approach allows treating patients by generating a patient-specific virtual GRID block (software-generated) and using IMRT technique to optimize the treatment plan. Here, we report our initial clinical experience using HT-GRID, and dosimetric comparison results between HT-GRID and LINAC-GRID. This study evaluates 10 previously treated patients who had deep-seated bulky tumors with complex geometries. Five of these patients were treated with HT-GRID and replanned with LINAC-GRID for comparison. Similarly, five other patients were treated with LINAC-GRID and replanned with HT-GRID for comparison. The prescription was set such that the maximum dose to the GTV is 20 Gy in a single fraction. Dosimetric parameters compared included: mean GTV dose (DGTV mean), GTV dose inhomogeneity (valley-to-peak dose ratio (VPR)), normal tissue doses (DNmean), and other organs-at-risk (OARs) doses. In addition, equivalent uniform doses (EUD) for both GTV and normal tissue were evaluated. In summary, HT-GRID technique is patient-specific, and allows adjustment of the GRID pattern to match different tumor sizes and shapes when they are deep-seated and cannot be adequately treated with LINAC-GRID. HT-GRID delivers a higher DGTV mean, EUD, and VPR compared to LINAC-GRID. HT-GRID delivers a higher DNmean and lower EUD for normal tissue compared to LINAC-GRID. HT-GRID plans also have more options for tumors with complex anatomical relationships between the GTV and the avoidance OARs (abutment or close proximity).

Radiation oncology or radiotherapy is an eminently clinical specialty, prevention, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment and prognostic assessment of neoplasms, based on ionizing radiation. Modern technology (advances in diagnostic imaging, evolution of computing, massive improvements and incorporating different systems of tracking and tracing in linear accelerators) allows treatment to be more and more accurate, less harmful to the patient and consequently more effective. (Author)

With the modernization of radiotherapic centers, medical linear accelerators are largely replacing (60)Co teletherapy units. In many cases, the same vault housing the (60)Co teletherapy unit is reused for the linear accelerator and, when space is at a premium, high-density concrete (3.0-5.0 g/cm(3)) is employed to provide shielding against the primary, scatter and leakage radiation. This work presents a study based on Monte Carlo simulations of transmission of some clinical photon spectra (of 4-10 MV accelerators) through some types of high-density concretes, normally used in the construction of radiotherapy bunkers. From the simulations, the initial and subsequent tenth-value layers (TVL) for these materials, taking into account realistic clinical photon spectra, are presented, for primary radiation.

Virtually all patients with Stage I testicular seminoma are cured regardless of postorchiectomy management. For patients treated with adjuvant radiotherapy, late toxicity is a major concern. However, toxicity may be limited by radiotherapy techniques that minimize radiation exposure of healthy normal tissues. This article is an evidence-based review that provides radiotherapy treatment planning recommendations for testicular seminoma. The minority of Stage I patients who choose adjuvant treatment over surveillance may be considered for (1) para-aortic irradiation to 20 Gy in 10 fractions, or (2) carboplatin chemotherapy consisting of area under the curve, AUC = 7 Multiplication-Sign 1-2 cycles. Two-dimensional radiotherapy based on bony anatomy is a simple and effective treatment for Stage IIA or IIB testicular seminoma. Centers with expertise in vascular and nodal anatomy may consider use of anteroposterior-posteroanterior fields based on three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy instead. For modified dog-leg fields delivering 20 Gy in 10 fractions, clinical studies support placement of the inferior border at the top of the acetabulum. Clinical and nodal mapping studies support placement of the superior border of all radiotherapy fields at the top of the T12 vertebral body. For Stage IIA and IIB patients, an anteroposterior-posteroanterior boost is then delivered to the adenopathy with a 2-cm margin to the block edge. The boost dose consists of 10 Gy in 5 fractions for Stage IIA and 16 Gy in 8 fractions for Stage IIB. Alternatively, bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin chemotherapy for 3 cycles or etoposide and cisplatin chemotherapy for 4 cycles may be delivered to Stage IIA or IIB patients (e.g., if they have a horseshoe kidney, inflammatory bowel disease, or a history of radiotherapy).

A specialised school on Plasma Wake Acceleration will be held at CERN, Switzerland from 23-29 November, 2014. This course will be of interest to staff and students in accelerator laboratories, university departments and companies working in or having an interest in the field of new acceleration techniques. Following introductory lectures on plasma and laser physics, the course will cover the different components of a plasma wake accelerator and plasma beam systems. An overview of the experimental studies, diagnostic tools and state of the art wake acceleration facilities, both present and planned, will complement the theoretical part. Topical seminars and a visit of CERN will complete the programme. Further information can be found at: http://cas.web.cern.ch/cas/PlasmaWake2014/CERN-advert.html http://indico.cern.ch/event/285444/

There has been recent interest in radiation-induced bone injury in clinical conditions, especially for pelvic insufficiency fracture (PIF). A PIF is caused by the effect of normal or physiological stress on bone with demineralization and decreased elastic resistance. Pelvic radiotherapy (RT) can also contribute to the development of a PIF. A PIF has been regarded as a rare complication with the use of megavoltage equipment. However, recent studies have reported the incidence of PIFs as 8.2{approx}20% after pelvic RT in gynecological patients, an incidence that was higher than previously believed. The importance of understanding a PIF lies in the potential for misdiagnosis as a bony metastasis. If patients complain of pelvic pain after whole-pelvis radiation therapy, the presence of a PIF must be considered in the differential diagnosis. The use of multibeam arrangements and conformal RT to reduce the volume and dose of irradiated pelvic bone can be helpful to minimize the risk of fracture. In addition to a PIF, osteonecrosis and avascular necrosis of the femoral head can develop after radiation therapy. Osteoradionecrosis of the pelvic bone is a clinical diagnostic challenge that must be differentiated from an osseous metastasis. A post-radiation bone sarcoma can result as a long-term sequela of pelvic irradiation for uterine cervical cancer.

Introduction. - Seminoma accounts for about 40% of germ cell tumours of the testicle. In this retrospective analysis, we review literature concerning management of stage I seminoma. Materials and methods. - Between March 1987 and April 2001, 65 patients with stage I pure testicular seminoma received adjuvant radiotherapy with a 25 MV linear accelerator. Results. - Median age was 33 years. Testicular tumour has been found on the right testis in 39 patients and on the left one in 24 patients. Patients have been treated using an anterior-posterior parallel pair and have received 20-25 Gy in 10-14 fractions. The target volume consisted of paraaortic, and paraaortic + homolateral iliac lymph nodes in 17 and 46 patients, respectively. Acute toxicity was mainly digestive, 38% of patients presenting nausea and vomiting. Median follow-up time was 37 months. All patients are alive in complete remission. Discussion. - Because of good radio-sensitivity of seminoma, radiotherapy is regarded as standard adjuvant treatment (5 years relapse rate: 3-5%). Acute toxicity is dominated by moderate gastro-intestinal side effects. Secondary neoplasia represents one of the worst possible long-term complications of therapy. Waiting for ongoing randomized trials, the modern literature for seminoma reflects a trend toward lower radiation doses (20-25 Gy) and smaller treatment volumes (paraaortic field). Adjuvant chemotherapy with two courses of carbo-platin, might be equivalent to radiotherapy but must be investigated in randomized trials. A surveillance policy is one of the other management options less recommended. (author)

The present work describes the implementation process and main results of the risk assessment to the radiotherapy practices with Linear Accelerators (Linac), with cobalt 60, and with brachytherapy. These evaluations were made throughout the risk assessment tool for radiotherapy practices SEVRRA (risk evaluation system for radiotherapy), developed at the Mexican National Commission in Nuclear Safety and Safeguards derived from the outcome obtained with the Probabilistic Safety Analysis developed at the Ibero-American Regulators Forum for these radiotherapy facilities. The methodology used is supported by risk matrices method, a mathematical tool that estimates the risk to the patient, radiation workers and public from mechanical failures, mis calibration of the devices, human mistakes, and so. The initiating events are defined as those undesirable events that, together with other failures, can produce a delivery of an over-dose or an under-dose of the medical prescribed dose, to the planned target volume, or a significant dose to non prescribed human organs. Initiating events frequency and reducer of its frequency (actions intended to avoid the accident) are estimated as well as robustness of barriers to those actions, such as mechanical switches, which detect and prevent the accident from occurring. The spectrum of the consequences is parameterized, and the actions performed to reduce the consequences are identified. Based on this analysis, a software tool was developed in order to simplify the evaluations to radiotherapy installations and it has been applied as a first step forward to some Mexican installations, as part of a national implementation process, the final goal is evaluation of all Mexican facilities in the near future. The main target and benefits of the SEVRRA implementation are presented in this paper. (Author)

This PhD project pertains to the development and adaptation of a dosimetry system that can be used to verify the delivery of radiation in modern radiotherapy modalities involving small radiation fields and dynamic radiation delivery. The dosimetry system is based on fibre-coupled organic scintillators and can be perceived as a well characterized, independent alternative to the methods that are in clinical use today. The dosimeter itself does not require a voltage supply, and is composed of water equivalent materials. The dosimeter can be fabricated with a sensitive volume smaller than a cubic millimeter, which is small enough to resolve the small radiation fields encountered in modern radiotherapy. The fast readout of the dosimeter enables measurements on the same time scale as the pulsed radiation delivery from the medical linear accelerators used for treatment. The dosimetry system, comprising fiber-coupled organic scintillators and data acquisition hardware, was developed at the Radiation Research Division at Risoe DTU and tested using clinical x-ray beams at hospitals in Denmark and abroad. Measurements of output factors and percentage depth dose were performed and compared with reference values and Monte Carlo simulations for static square radiation fields for standard (4 cm x 4 cm to 20 cm x 20 cm) and small (down to 0.6 cm x 0.6 cm) field sizes. The accuracy of most of the obtained measurements was good, agreeing with reference and simulated dose values to within 2 % standard deviation for both standard and small fields. This thesis concludes that the new pulse-resolved dosimetry system holds great potential for modern radiotherapy applications, such as stereotactic radiotherapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy. (Author)

Film about the different particle accelerators in the US. Nuclear research in the US has developed into a broad and well-balanced program.Tour of accelerator installations, accelerator development work now in progress and a number of typical experiments with high energy particles. Brookhaven, Cosmotron. Univ. Calif. Berkeley, Bevatron. Anti-proton experiment. Negative k meson experiment. Bubble chambers. A section on an electron accelerator. Projection of new accelerators. Princeton/Penn. build proton synchrotron. Argonne National Lab. Brookhaven, PS construction. Cambridge Electron Accelerator; Harvard/MIT. SLAC studying a linear accelerator. Other research at Madison, Wisconsin, Fixed Field Alternate Gradient Focusing. (FFAG) Oakridge, Tenn., cyclotron. Two-beam machine. Comments : Interesting overview of high energy particle accelerators installations in the US in these early years. .

Full Text Available Antiprotons have been proposed as possible particles for radiotherapy; over the past years, the renewed interest in the potential biomedical relevance led to an increased research activity. It is the aim of this review to deliver a comprehensive overview regarding the evidence accumulated so far, analysing the background and depicting the current status of antiprotons in radiotherapy. A literature search has been conducted, including major scientific and commercial databases. All articles and a number of relevant conference abstracts published in the respective field have been included in this systematic review. The physical basis of antiproton radiotherapy is complex; however, the characterisation of the energy deposition profile supports its potential use in radiotherapy. Also the dosimetry improved considerably over the past few years. Regarding the biological properties, data on the effects on cells are presented; however, definite conclusions regarding the relative biological effectiveness cannot be made at the moment and radiobiological evidence of enhanced effectiveness remains scarce. In addition, there is new evidence supporting the potential imaging properties, for example for online dose verification. Clinical settings which might profit from the use of antiprotons have been further tracked. Judging from the evidence available so far, clinical constellations requiring optimal sparing in the entrance region of the beam and re-irradiations might profit most from antiproton radiotherapy. While several open questions remain to be answered, first steps towards a thorough characterisation of this interesting modality have been made.

The author traces his involvement in the evolution of particle accelerators over the past 50 years. He participated in building the first billion-volt accelerator, the Brookhaven Cosmotron, which led to the introduction of the "strong-focusing" method that has in turn led to the very large accelerators and colliders of the present day. The problems of acceleration of spin-polarized protons are also addressed, with discussions of depolarizing resonances and "Siberian snakes" as a technique for mitigating these resonances.

Far fields are propagating electromagnetic waves far from their source, boundary surfaces, and free charges. The general principles governing the acceleration of charged particles by far fields are reviewed. A survey of proposed field configurations is given. The two most important schemes, Inverse Cerenkov acceleration and Inverse free electron laser acceleration, are discussed in detail.

Using naturally occuring particles on which to research might have made accelerators become extinct. But in fact, results from astrophysics have made accelerator physics even more important. Not only are accelerators used in hospitals but they are also being used to understand nature's inner workings by searching for Higgs bosons, CP violation, neutrino mass and dark matter (2 pages)

Introduction to accelerator physics The CERN Accelerator School: Introduction to Accelerator Physics, which should have taken place in Istanbul, Turkey, later this year has now been relocated to Budapest, Hungary. Further details regarding the new hotel and dates will be made available as soon as possible on a new Indico site at the end of May.

Acceleration is one tool for providing high-ability students the opportunity to learn something new every day. Some people talk about acceleration as taking a student out of step. In actuality, what one is doing is putting a student in step with the right curriculum. Whole-grade acceleration, also called grade-skipping, usually happens between…

Ion beam therapy and hadron therapy are types of external beam radiotherapy. Recently, the vast majority of patients have been treated with protons and carbon ions. Typically, the types of accelerators used for therapy were cyclotrons and synchrocyclotrons. It is intuitively clear that a compact facility fits best to a hospital environment intended for particle therapy and medical diagnostics. Another criterion for selection of accelerators to be mentioned in this article is application of superconducting technology to the magnetic system design of the facility. Compact isochronous cyclotrons, which accelerate protons in the energy range 9-30 MeV, have been widely used for production of radionuclides. Energy of 230 MeV has become canonical for all proton therapy accelerators. Similar application of a carbon beam requires ion energy of 430 MeV/u. Due to application of superconducting coils the magnetic field in these machines can reach 4-5 T and even 9 T in some cases. Medical cyclotrons with an ironless or nearly ironless magnetic system that have a number of advantages over the classical accelerators are in the development stage. In this work an attempt is made to describe some conceptual and technical features of modern accelerators under consideration. The emphasis is placed on the magnetic and acceleration systems along with the beam extraction unit, which are very important from the point of view of the facility compactness and compliance with the strict medical requirements.

Purpose: Pulsed low dose rate radiotherapy (PLDR) is a re-irradiation technique for therapy of recurrent cancers. We have previously shown a significant difference in the weight and survival time between the mice treated with conventional radiotherapy (CRT) and PLDR using total body irradiation (TBI). The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo effects of PLDR on normal mouse tissues.Materials and Methods: Twenty two male BALB/c nude mice, 4 months of age, were randomly assigned into a PLDR group (n=10), a CRT group (n=10), and a non-irradiated control group (n=2). The Siemens Artiste accelerator with 6 MV photon beams was used. The mice received a total of 18Gy in 3 fractions with a 20day interval. The CRT group received the 6Gy dose continuously at a dose rate of 300 MU/min. The PLDR group was irradiated with 0.2Gyx20 pulses with a 3min interval between the pulses. The mice were weighed thrice weekly and sacrificed 2 weeks after the last treatment. Brain, heart, lung, liver, spleen, gastrointestinal, urinary and reproductive organs, and sternal bone marrow were removed, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded and stained with H and E. Morphological changes were observed under a microscope. Results: Histopathological examination revealed atrophy in several irradiated organs. The degree of atrophy was mild to moderate in the PLDR group, but severe in the CRT group. The most pronounced morphological abnormalities were in the immune and hematopoietic systems, namely spleen and bone marrow. Brain hemorrhage was seen in the CRT group, but not in the PLDR group. Conclusions: Our results showed that PLDR induced less toxicity in the normal mouse tissues than conventional radiotherapy for the same dose and regimen. Considering that PLDR produces equivalent tumor control as conventional radiotherapy, it would be a good modality for treatment of recurrent cancers.

In its broadest terms, doctoral dissertation entitled "Track structure modelling for ion radiotherapy" is part of the supporting research background in the development of the ambitious proton radiotherapy project currently under way at the Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN in Krak\\'ow. Another broad motivation was the desire to become directly involved in research on a topical and challenging subject of possibly developing a therapy planning system for carbon beam radiotherapy, based in its radiobiological part on the Track Structure model developed by prof. Robert Katz over 50 years ago. Thus, the general aim of this work was, firstly, to recapitulate the Track Structure model and to propose an updated and complete formulation of this model by incorporating advances made by several authors who had contributed to its development in the past. Secondly, the updated and amended (if necessary) formulation of the model was presented in a form applicable for use in computer codes which would constitute the "radiobio...

Comparing both, the more conventional Gompertz tumor growth law (GL) and the ``Universal'' law (UL), recently proposed and applied to cancer,we have investigated the growth law's implications on various radiotherapy regimen. According to GL, the surviving tumor cell fraction could be reduced 'ad libidum', independently of the initial tumor mass,simply by increasing the number of treatments. On the contrary, if tumor growth dynamics would indeed follow the Universal scaling law, there is a lower limit of the survival fraction that cannot be reduced any further regardless of the total number of treatments. This finding can explain the so called ``tumor size effect'' and re-emphasizes the importance of early diagnosis as it implies that radiotherapy may be successful provided the tumor mass at treatment onset is rather small. Taken together with our previous works, implications of these findings include revisiting standard radiotherapy regimen and overall treatment protocols.

From 1975 to 1984, thirteen patients were submitted to radiotherapy for choroid metastases of mammary carcinoma. Bilateral manifestation was found in three cases, thus sixteen eyes have been treated. All irradiations were performed with high voltage equipment. The posterior section of the eye was irradiated with 25 to 50 Gy over 2.5 to 5 weeks. Complete regression was achieved in nine out of sixteen cases, five patients showed an improvement of at least 50%, no considerable effect was found in two cases. The survival is 4 to 48 months (median survival 20 months) from the beginning of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is a quick, efficient, and sparing treatment in choroid metastases. If applied in due time, it can prevent a visual disorder or amaurosis, thus improving the patients' quality of life.

Hypopituitarism is a disorder caused by impaired hormonal secretions from the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. Radiotherapy is the most common cause of iatrogenic hypopituitarism. The hypothalamic-pituitary axis inadvertently gets irradiated in patients receiving prophylactic cranial radiotherapy for leukemia, total body irradiation and radiotherapy for intracranial, base skull, sinonasal and nasopharyngeal tumors. Radiation-induced hypopituitarism (RIH) is insidious, progressive and largely nonreversible. Mostly, RIH involves one hypothalamic-pituitary axis; however, multiple hormonal axes deficiency starts developing at higher doses. Although the clinical effects of the hypopituitarism are more profound in children and young adults, its implications in older adults are being increasingly recognized. The risk continues to persist or increase up to 10 years following radiation exposure. The clinical management of hypopituitarism is challenging both for the patients and healthcare providers. Here we have reviewed the scale of the problem, the risk factors and the management of RIH.

of life (QOL) issues; sexual functioning has proved to be one of the most important aspects of concern in long-term survivors. METHODS: An updated literature search in PubMed was performed on pelvic radiotherapy and female sexual functioning/dysfunction. Studies on gynaecological, urological...... and gastrointestinal cancers were included. The focus was on the period from 2010 to 2014, on studies using PROs, on potential randomized controlled trials (RCTs) where female sexual dysfunction (FSD) at least constituted a secondary outcome, and on studies reporting from modern radiotherapy modalities. RESULTS...... during the next five years. Several newer studies confirm that health care professionals are still reluctant to discuss treatment induced sexual dysfunction with patients. CONCLUSIONS: Pelvic radiotherapy has a persistent deteriorating effect on the vaginal mucosa impacting negatively on the sexual...

Radiotherapy of malignant head and neck tumors often causes extensive, permanent changes in salivary glands, peridental alveolar bone, and mucosal structures. Dental neglect and inappropriate dental management can cause complications. The potential orofacial side effects of radiotherapy are reviewed, as are preventive strategies for the dental treatment of patients scheduled to undergo radiotherapy.

Full Text Available Introduction. Today, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is a standard way in the radical treatment of localized prostate cancer, and it is an alternative to the radical prostatectomy. This method of radiotherapy treatment is widely accepted in the treatment of prostate cancer patients, and provides irradiation of targeted volume (prostate, seminal vesicles with dose escalation sparing the surrounding healthy tissues (rectum, bladder at the same time. That is not possible with the conventional twodimension technique. Procedure description. Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy is a volumetric, visual simulation according to the computed tomography slices; it defines the tumour and organ at risk individually in each patient. Results of several studies have shown that there is a significant decrease in the development of acute toxicity when prostate cancer patients are treated with conformal radiotherapy. High dose irradiation gives excellent results in treatment of localized prostate carcinoma and improves treatment results in the patients with locally advanced carcinoma of prostate. Discussion. Prostate carcinoma irradiation techniques have been changed dramatically during recent years. Data obtained by computed tomography are important since the size and shapes of the prostate as well as its anatomic relations towards the rectum and bladder are considerably different in individual patients. The three-dimension plan of irradiation can be designed for each patient individually by performing computed tomography technique when planning radiotherapy. Conclusion. The advanced planning systems for conformal radiotherapy can reconstruct the anatomic structures of pelvis in three-dimension technique on the basis of computed tomography scans, which provides better conformality between the irradiation beam and geometrical shape of the tumour with minimal irradiation of the surrounding healthy tissue.

To report the results of radiotherapy for patients with failure, adverse reactions or relative contraindications to the use of steroids or immunosuppressants, by using newly developed quantitative indexes. Fourteen female and six male patients with Graves` ophthalmopathy were treated with radiotherapy between 1989 and 1996. Prior to radiotherapy, eight patients received treatment with prednisone, four received immunosuppressants and four received a combination of both. Four patients with contraindications to steroids were initially managed with radiotherapy. Most of the patients received a dose of 24-28 Gy in 2 Gy fractions. We used the newly developed motility limitation index to assess extraocular motility. Treatment was well tolerated. There have been no late complications. All 12 patients with soft tissue signs such as edema, irritation, tearing and pain were improved. Proptosis did not improve or improved only slightly, 3 mm at best. However, proptosis in all but two has been stabilized and has not deteriorated in the follow-up period. Most of the patients have experienced an improvement of eye-muscle motility. Extraocular muscles that work for elevation were impaired more severely than the other muscles and this tended to remain. Of the 16 patients using steroids before or when radiotherapy was initiated, 15 were tapered off and only one patient required additional steroids, thus sparing the majority from steroid adverse reactions. Radiotherapy was effective in preventing exacerbations of active inflammatory ophthalmopathy in patients with Graves` disease with minimal morbidity and thus eliminated the adverse reactions associated with protracted corticosteroid use. The newly developed motility limitation index was useful in detecting delicate changes in motility of individual extraocular muscles. (author)

A high reliability is a very important goal for most particle accelerators. The biennial Accelerator Reliability Workshop covers topics related to the design and operation of particle accelerators with a high reliability. In order to optimize the over-all reliability of an accelerator one needs to gather information on the reliability of many different subsystems. While a biennial workshop can serve as a platform for the exchange of such information, the authors aimed to provide a further channel to allow for a more timely communication: the Particle Accelerator Reliability Forum [1]. This contribution will describe the forum and advertise it’s usage in the community.

The paper presents methods and results of a study of radiation-physical characteristics of inhibitory radiation beam with the Grenz energy of 15MeV generated by an electron linear accelerator LUE-15M. Special emphasis is laid on primary dosimetric information used for the planning of radiotherapy: depth doses, beam profiles, dose functions of a collimated beam. It has been shown that in general the accelerator meets the requirements of the International Electrotechnical Commission. General error in the focal absorbed dose at the expense of variable parameters of the accelerator was evaluated. It does not exceed +/- 3.5%.

Purpose: To report our experience with linear accelerator-based stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy in the treatment of juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma. Methods and Materials: We performed a retrospective review of 50 consecutive patients diagnosed with juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma and treated with linear accelerator-based stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy between April 2003 and December 2009. Patients with small to medium sized lesions (Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study classification) located within 2 mm of the optic disc were included. The prescribed radiation dose was 60 Gy in 10 fractions. The primary endpoints included local control, enucleation-free survival, and complication rates. Results: The median follow-up was 29 months (range, 1-77 months). There were 31 males and 29 females, with a median age of 69 years (range, 30-92 years). Eighty-four percent of the patients had medium sized lesions, and 16% of patients had small sized lesions. There were four cases of local progression (8%) and three enucleations (6%). Actuarial local control rates at 2 and 5 years were 93% and 86%, respectively. Actuarial enucleation-free survival rates at 2 and 5 years were 94% and 84%, respectively. Actuarial complication rates at 2 and 5 years were 33% and 88%, respectively, for radiation-induced retinopathy; 9.3% and 46.9%, respectively, for dry eye; 12% and 53%, respectively, for cataract; 30% and 90%, respectively, for visual loss [Snellen acuity (decimal equivalent), <0.1]; 11% and 54%, respectively, for optic neuropathy; and 18% and 38%, respectively, for neovascular glaucoma. Conclusions: Linear accelerator-based stereotactic fractionated radiotherapy using 60 Gy in 10 fractions is safe and has an acceptable toxicity profile. It has been shown to be an effective noninvasive treatment for juxtapapillary choroidal melanomas.

In early stage Hodgkin's disease the optimal choice of treatment for the individual patient is still an unresolved issue. So far, twenty-two randomized trials of radiotherapy alone versus radiotherapy plus combination chemotherapy have been carried out worldwide. The preliminary results of a global...... be kept at a minimum. Recently, trials have been carried out testing chemotherapy alone. The results of these trials are however conflicting. In order not to jeopardize the good results achieved with the standard treatments developed over the last three decades, newer treatment approaches should...... be carefully tested in large randomized trials before being implemented for general clinical use....

Full Text Available Purpose and Method. Hyper-fractionated radiotherapy for treatment of soft tissue sarcomas is designed to deliver a higher total dose of radiation without an increase in late normal tissue damage. In a previous study at the Royal Marsden Hospital, a total dose of 75 Gy using twice daily 1.25 Gy fractions resulted in a higher incidence of late damage than conventional radiotherapy using 2 Gy daily fractions treating to a total of 60 Gy. The current trial therefore used a lower dose per fraction of 1.2 Gy and lower total dose of 72 Gy, with 60 fractions given over a period of 6 weeks.

There are two major medical applications of ion accelerators. One is a production of short-lived isotopes for radionuclide imaging with positron emission tomography and single photon emission computer tomography. Generally, a combination of a source for negative ions (usually H- and/or D-) and a cyclotron is used; this system is well established and distributed over the world. Other important medical application is charged-particle radiotherapy, where the accelerated ion beam itself is being used for patient treatment. Two distinctly different methods are being applied: either with protons or with heavy-ions (mostly carbon ions). Proton radiotherapy for deep-seated tumors has become widespread since the 1990s. The energy and intensity are typically over 200 MeV and several 10(10) pps, respectively. Cyclotrons as well as synchrotrons are utilized. The ion source for the cyclotron is generally similar to the type for production of radioisotopes. For a synchrotron, one applies a positive ion source in combination with an injector linac. Carbon ion radiotherapy awakens a worldwide interest. About 6000 cancer patients have already been treated with carbon beams from the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan. These clinical results have clearly verified the advantages of carbon ions. Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center and Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center have been successfully launched. Several new facilities are under commissioning or construction. The beam energy is adjusted to the depth of tumors. It is usually between 140 and 430 MeV∕u. Although the beam intensity depends on the irradiation method, it is typically several 10(8) or 10(9) pps. Synchrotrons are only utilized for carbon ion radiotherapy. An ECR ion source supplies multi-charged carbon ions for this requirement. Some other medical applications with ion beams attract developer's interests. For example, the several types of accelerators are

At CERN, we are very familiar with large, high energy particle accelerators. However, in the world outside CERN, there are more than 35000 accelerators which are used for applications ranging from treating cancer, through making better electronics to removing harmful micro-organisms from food and water. These are responsible for around $0.5T of commerce each year. Almost all are less than 20 MeV and most use accelerator types that are somewhat different from what is at CERN. These lectures will describe some of the most common applications, some of the newer applications in development and the accelerator technology used for them. It will also show examples of where technology developed for particle physics is now being studied for these applications. Rob Edgecock is a Professor of Accelerator Science, with a particular interest in the medical applications of accelerators. He works jointly for the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the International Institute for Accelerator Applications at the Univer...

At CERN, we are very familiar with large, high energy particle accelerators. However, in the world outside CERN, there are more than 35000 accelerators which are used for applications ranging from treating cancer, through making better electronics to removing harmful micro-organisms from food and water. These are responsible for around $0.5T of commerce each year. Almost all are less than 20 MeV and most use accelerator types that are somewhat different from what is at CERN. These lectures will describe some of the most common applications, some of the newer applications in development and the accelerator technology used for them. It will also show examples of where technology developed for particle physics is now being studied for these applications. Rob Edgecock is a Professor of Accelerator Science, with a particular interest in the medical applications of accelerators. He works jointly for the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the International Institute for Accelerator Applications at the Uni...

The authors describe a new instrumentation for repositioning of the Brown-Roberts-Wells (BRW) stereotaxic system, useful for precise fractionated radiotherapy. A lucite ring is fixed to the patient's skull with four screws. Another ring, partially open, is then firmly connected co-axially to the lower part of the first one with four spacer-bars. The fixture permits an exact repositioning of the B.R.W. stereotaxic system, placing the target point in the linear accelerator isocenter. The preliminary technical results obtained in five children are reported and the fixture performance, advantages, and perspectives are discussed.

Background: A significant number of patients receiving radiotherapy experience the distressing side effects of emesis and nausea. These symptoms are some of the most distressing problems for the patients influencing their quality of life. Methods: International study results concerning radiotherapy-induced emesis are demonstrated. A German multicenter questionnaire examining the strategies to prevent or to treat radiotherapy-induced nausea and emesis is presented. An international analysis concerning incidence of emesis and nausea in fractionated radiotherapy patients is discussed. Finally the consensus of the consensus conference on antiemetic therapy from the Perugia International Cancer Conference V is introduced. Results: Untreated emesis can lead to complications like electrolyte disorders, dehydration, metabolic disturbances and nutrition problems with weight loss. Prophylactic antiemetics are often given to patients receiving single high-dose radiotherapy to the abdomen. A survey has revealed that antiemetic prophylaxis is not routinely offered to the patients receiving fractionated radiotherapy. However, there is a need for an effective treatment of emesis for use in this group of patients, too. In 20% of patients nausea and emesis can cause a treatment interruption because of an inadequate control of symptoms. Like in chemotherapy strategies there exist high, moderate, and low emetogenic treatment regimens in radiotherapy as well. The most emetogenic potential has the total body irradiation followed by radiotherapy to the abdomen. Radiotherapy induced emesis can be treated effectively with conventional antiemetics up to 50%. Conclusions: Studies with total body irradiation, fractionated treatment and high-dose single exposures have cleary demonstrated the value of 5-HT3-receptor antagonist antiemetics. There is a response between 60 and 97%. There is no difference in the efficacy of the different 5-HT3-antagonists. High-risk patients should be prophylactic

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer in China. In recent years, great progress has been made in radiotherapy for lung cancer patients in China. The main advance-ments include the fol owing aspects:(1) stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for early stage non-smal cel lung cancer (NSCLC), (2) post-operative radiotherapy for NSCLC, (3) combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy for local y advanced NSCLC, (4) improved radiotherapy for advanced NSCLC, and 5) prediction of radiation-induced lung toxicity.

Radiotherapy practitioners may be best placed to undertake qualitative research within the context of cancer, due to specialist knowledge of radiation treatment and sensitivity to radiotherapy patient's needs. The grounded theory approach to data collection and analysis is a unique method of identifying a theory directly based on data collected within a clinical context. Research for radiotherapy practitioners is integral to role expansion within the government's directive for evidence-based practice. Due to the paucity of information on qualitative research undertaken by radiotherapy radiographers, this article aims to assess the potential impact of qualitative research on radiotherapy patient and service outcomes.

Radiotherapy is an indispensible part of the management of all stages of breast cancer. In this article, the common indications for radiotherapy in the management of early breast cancer (stages 0, I, and II) are reviewed, including whole-breast radiotherapy as part of breast-conserving treatment for early invasive breast cancer and pre-invasive disease of ductal carcinoma in situ, post-mastectomy radiotherapy, locoregional radiotherapy, and partial breast irradiation. Key clinical studies that underpin our current practice are discussed briefly.

Full Text Available Aim: To report the outcome of carcinoma cervix patients treated radically by external beam radiotherapy and high dose rate intracavitary radiotherapy. Material and Methods: From January 2005 to December 2006, a total of 709 newly diagnosed cases of carcinoma cervix were reported in our department. All cases were staged according to the International Federation of Gynecologist and Oncologist staging system. Out of 709 cases, 342 completed radical radiotherapy and were retrospectively analyzed for the presence of local residual disease, local recurrence, distant metastases, radiation reaction, and disease free survival. Results: There were 11(3.22%, 82(23.98%, 232(67.83%, and 17(4.97% patients in stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively. The median follow up time for all patients was 36 months (range 3 -54 months. The overall treatment time (OTT ranged from 52 to 69 days (median 58 days. The 3 year disease free survival rate was 81.8%, 70.7%, 40.08%, and 11.76% for stages I, II, III, and IV, respectively. There were 91 (26.6% cases with local residual diseases, 27(7.9% developed distant metastasis, and 18(5.26% pts had local recurrence. Discussion: The results of this study suggest that radical radiotherapy with HDR brachytherapy was appropriate for the treatment of early staged cancer of uterine cervix. For locally advanced cancer of cervix addition of concurrent chemotherapy, higher radiation doses, reduction of overall treatment time to less than 8 weeks, and use of latest radiotherapy techniques such as IMRT is recommended to improve the results.

The author discusses the issue of prostate cancer radiotherapy in the case of elderly persons. The choice of the therapeutic strategy (local, hormonotherapy, simple monitoring) is complex. Different aspects must be considered: the carcinologic situation assessment, the patient health condition, the patient life expectancy, and the possible side effects of treatment. Radiotherapy appears to be a major therapeutic asset, but dose levels, toxicity effects must then be considered. Short communication

Generic considerations involved in decommissioning particle accelerators are examined. There are presently several hundred accelerators operating in the United States that can produce material containing nonnegligible residual radioactivity. Residual radioactivity after final shutdown is generally short-lived induced activity and is localized in hot spots around the beam line. The decommissioning options addressed are mothballing, entombment, dismantlement with interim storage, and dismantlement with disposal. The recycle of components or entire accelerators following dismantlement is a definite possibility and has occurred in the past. Accelerator components can be recycled either immediately at accelerator shutdown or following a period of storage, depending on the nature of induced activation. Considerations of cost, radioactive waste, and radiological health are presented for four prototypic accelerators. Prototypes considered range from small accelerators having minimal amounts of radioactive mmaterial to a very large accelerator having massive components containing nonnegligible amounts of induced activation. Archival information on past decommissionings is presented, and recommendations concerning regulations and accelerator design that will aid in the decommissioning of an accelerator are given.

In this study, the MCNP5 code was used to model radiotherapy room of a medical linear accelerator operating at 18 MV and to evaluate the neutron and the secondary gamma ray fluences, the energy spectra and the dose equivalent distributions inside a liquid tissue-equivalent (TE) phantom. The obtained results were compared with measured data published in the literature. Moreover, the shielding effects of various neutron material shields on the radiotherapy room wall were also investigated. Our simulation results showed that paraffin wax containing boron carbide presents enough effectiveness to reduce both neutron and secondary gamma ray doses.

Radiotherapy is an effective but underutilized treatment modality for cancer patients. We decided to investigate the factors influencing radiotherapy referral among family physicians in our region. A 30-item survey was developed to determine palliative radiotherapy knowledge and factors influencing referral. It was sent to 400 physicians in eastern Ontario (Canada) and the completed surveys were evaluated. The overall response rate was 50% with almost all physicians seeing cancer patients recently (97%) and the majority (80%) providing palliative care. Approximately 56% had referred patients for radiotherapy previously and 59% were aware of the regional community oncology program. Factors influencing radiotherapy referral included the following: waiting times for radiotherapy consultation and treatment, uncertainty about the benefits of radiotherapy, patient age, and perceived patient inconvenience. Physicians who referred patients for radiotherapy were more than likely to provide palliative care, work outside of urban centres, have hospital privileges and had sought advice from a radiation oncologist in the past. A variety of factors influence the referral of cancer patients for radiotherapy by family physicians and addressing issues such as long waiting times, lack of palliative radiotherapy knowledge and awareness of Cancer Centre services could increase the rate of appropriate radiotherapy patient referral.

Conformal radiotherapy is a promising therapeutic strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), producing local control rates above 90% within the radiation beam. However, survival after radiotherapy remains limited by the high frequency of intra- and extra-hepatic recurrences, which occurs in 40-50 and 20-30% of cases, respectively. Sorafenib (BAY43-9006, Nexavar; Bayer, West Haven, CT) is a small molecule inhibitor that demonstrated potent activity to target v-raf murine sarcoma oncogene homologue B1 (BRAF) and VEGFR tyrosine kinases. Sorafenib is the only drug that demonstrated effectiveness to increase overall survival in advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. The rationale to combine radiotherapy with sorafenib is the following: (1) targeting RAS-RAF-MAPK and VEGFR signaling pathways, which are specifically activated after exposure to radiation, and responsible for radio-resistance phenomenon; (2) enhancing the oxygen effect through normalization of the surviving tumor vasculature; and (3) synchronization of the cell cycle. Sorafenib and radiotherapy represent complementary strategies, as radiotherapy may be useful to prolong the effect of sorafenib through control of the macroscopic disease, when sorafenib may target latent microscopic disease. Sorafenib and radiotherapy associations are thus based on a relevant biological and clinical rationale and are being evaluated in ongoing phase I-II trials. (authors)

Inverted papilloma is an infrequent tumour of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses associated with controversy. The incidence of carcinoma in situ associated with inverted papilloma, has not been very well documented until now. Therefore the authors present a case report characterized by an aggressive clinical behaviour, treated by extensive surgery and ultimately controlled by radiotherapy.

Inverted papilloma is an infrequent tumour of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses associated with controversy. The incidence of carcinoma in situ associated with inverted papilloma, has not been very well documented until now. Therefore, we present a case report characterized by an aggressive clinical behaviour, treated by extensive surgery and ultimately controlled by radiotherapy.

From its inception in the early 1970's up to the present, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has evolved into a sophisticated technique, which has aroused considerable interest in var- ious subelds of medicine including radiotherapy. MRI is capable of imaging in any plane and does not use ionizing rad

Highlight: > Tumour-host interaction is modelled by Lotka-Volterra equations. > A brief review of the motion integral and analysis of linear stability is presented. > Radiotherapy is introduced into the model, using a periodic Dirac delta function. > A two-dimensional logistic map is derived from the modified Lotka-Volterra model. > It is shown that tumour can be controlled by a correct selection of therapy strategy. - Abstract: Tumour-host interaction is modelled by the Lotka-Volterra equations. Qualitative analysis and simulations show that this model reproduces all known states of development for tumours. Radiotherapy effect is introduced into the model by means of the linear-quadratic model and the periodic Dirac delta function. The evolution of the system under the action of radiotherapy is simulated and parameter space is obtained, from which certain threshold of effectiveness values for the frequency and applied doses are derived. A two-dimensional logistic map is derived from the modified Lotka-Volterra model and used to simulate the effectiveness of radiotherapy in different regimens of tumour development. The results show the possibility of achieving a successful treatment in each individual case by employing the correct therapeutic strategy.

First, we present two offline position verification methods which can be used in radiotherapy for detecting the position of the bony anatomy of a patient automatically with portal imaging, even if every single portal image of each segment of an (IMRT) treatment beam contains insufficient matching in

Radiotherapy has, historically, played a central role in the management of acromegaly, and the last 30 years have seen substantial improvements in the technology used in the delivery of radiation therapy. More recently, the introduction of highly targeted radiotherapy, or 'radiosurgery', has further increased the therapeutic options available in the management of secretory pituitary tumors. Despite these developments, improvements in primary surgical outcomes, an increase in the range and effectiveness of medical therapy options, and long-term safety concerns have combined to dictate that, although still deployed in selected cases, the use of radiotherapy in the management of acromegaly has declined steadily over the past 2 decades. In this article, we review some of the main studies that have documented the efficacy of pituitary radiotherapy on growth hormone hypersecretion and summarize the data around its potential deleterious effects, including hypopituitarism, cranial nerve damage, and the development of radiation-related intracerebral tumors. We also give practical recommendations to guide its future use in patients with acromegaly, generally, as a third-line intervention after neurosurgical intervention in combination with various medical therapy options.

The exact value of radiotherapy in the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer is difficult to establish, as most studies exploring this issue are retrospective with different procedures for selecting patients for treatment, as well as varying treatment strategies. An estima...

The potential of heavy ion therapy for clinical use in cancer therapy stems from the biological parameters of heavy charged particles, and their precise dose localization. Biologically, carbon, neon and other heavy ion beams (up to about silicon) are clinically useful in overcoming the radioresistance of hypoxic tumors, thus increasing biological effectiveness relative to low-LET x-ray or electron beams. Cells irradiated by heavy ions show less variation in cell-cycle related radiosensitivity and decreased repair of radiation injury. The physical parameters of these heavy charged particles allow precise delivery of high radiation doses to tumors while minimizing irradiation of normal tissues. Clinical use requires close interaction between radiation oncologists, medical physicists, accelerator physicists, engineers, computer scientists and radiation biologists.

National Accelerator Centre (NAC) staff members will be making an important contribution to radiation therapy in South Africa when the Transvaal Department of Hospital Services starts treating certain types of cancer with fast neutrons, at the Pretoria Cyclotron on the CSIR campus. The fast neutrons will be utilized mainly to treat advanced cancers of the head and the neck. The project will develop along two lines. Firstly the Pretoria cyclotron must be modified and secondly satisfactory radiobiological data must be provided before patients may be treated. This radiobiological experiment heralds a new area for use of the cyclotron which has thus far been used mainly for basic nuclear research and the production of isotopes.

Full Text Available In well-selected patients who choose to pursue breast conservation therapy (BCT for early-stage breast cancer, partial breast irradiation (PBI delivered externally or intraoperatively, may be a viable alternative to conventional whole breast irradiation. Two large, contemporary randomized trials have demonstrated breast intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT to be noninferior to whole breast external beam radiotherapy (EBRT when assessing for ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence in select patients. Additionally, IORT and other PBI techniques are likely to be more widely adopted in the future because they improve patient convenience by offering an accelerated course of treatment. Coupled with these novel techniques for breast radiotherapy (RT are distinct toxicity profiles and unique cosmetic alterations that differ from conventional breast EBRT and have the potential to impact disease surveillance and patient satisfaction. This paper will review the level-one evidence for treatment efficacy as well as important secondary endpoints like RT toxicity, breast cosmesis, quality of life, patient satisfaction, and surveillance mammography following BCT with IORT.

The TLD-100 readout system was optimized for various radiotherapy beam doses using the Taguchi method. The radiotherapy beam was produced by a Varian 21EX linear accelerator (LINAC) at 6 MV. The beam doses were 50, 100 and 150 cGy, and the measured data in each group were averaged from three TLD-100 chips. A total of nine combinations of four parameters were arranged, in the manner suggested by Taguchi. The four parameters were defined as initial temperature, heating rate, preheat time and maximum set temperature of the readout system during TLD reading. The loss function {eta} adopted herein was specifically defined to satisfy the requirements of both sharp linearity and good reproducibility of the TLD reading at various radiotherapy beam doses. The optimized values were: (1) 50 deg. C for initial temperature, (2) 3 deg. C/s for heating rate, (3) 5 min for the TLD preheat time and (4) 250 deg. C for the maximum temperature for TLD reading. Additionally, the parameters that dominated the TLD readout were: (1) initial temperature, (2) heating rate and (4) maximum temperature setting for TLD reading; and the minor parameter was (3) TLD preheat time before reading. The interactions among the dominant parameters were also studied: no significant cross interaction occurred between initial temperature and heating rate or between initial temperature and maximum temperature. However, a complex cross-interaction existed between optimal heating rate and maximum temperature.

"Accelerator and radiation physics" encompasses radiation shielding design and strategies for hadron therapy accelerators, neutron facilities and laser based accelerators. A fascinating article describes detailed transport theory and its application to radiation transport. Detailed information on planning and design of a very high energy proton accelerator can be obtained from the article on radiological safety of J-PARC. Besides safety for proton accelerators, the book provides information on radiological safety issues for electron synchrotron and prevention and preparedness for radiological emergencies. Different methods for neutron dosimetry including LET based monitoring, time of flight spectrometry, track detectors are documented alongwith newly measured experimental data on radiation interaction with dyes, polymers, bones and other materials. Design of deuteron accelerator, shielding in beam line hutches in synchrotron and 14 MeV neutron generator, various radiation detection methods, their characteriza...

A Fermi accelerator is a billiard with oscillating walls. A leaky accelerator interacts with an environment of an ideal gas at equilibrium by exchange of particles through a small hole on its boundary. Such interaction may heat the gas: we estimate the net energy flow through the hole under the assumption that the particles inside the billiard do not collide with each other and remain in the accelerator for sufficiently long time. The heat production is found to depend strongly on the type of the Fermi accelerator. An ergodic accelerator, i.e. one which has a single ergodic component, produces a weaker energy flow than a multi-component accelerator. Specifically, in the ergodic case the energy gain is independent of the hole size, whereas in the multi-component case the energy flow may be significantly increased by shrinking the hole size.

About 80 experts attended this workshop, which brought together all accelerator communities: accelerator driven systems, X-ray sources, medical and industrial accelerators, spallation sources projects (American and European), nuclear physics, etc. With newly proposed accelerator applications such as nuclear waste transmutation, replacement of nuclear power plants and others. Reliability has now become a number one priority for accelerator designers. Every part of an accelerator facility from cryogenic systems to data storage via RF systems are concerned by reliability. This aspect is now taken into account in the design/budget phase, especially for projects whose goal is to reach no more than 10 interruptions per year. This document gathers the slides but not the proceedings of the workshop.

It is analyzed the use of a perspex solid phantom, adequately referred to a water phantom, as an auxiliary alternative for the daily stability verification routines or constance of radiation beam, as an option in the case of radiotherapy installations with high charge of accelerator working and with basic dosimetry equipment. (Author)

We retrospectively studied the outcomes and prognostic factors of patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer who were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) or radiotherapy only. Fifty-one patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer (stage IIA{approx}III) who received radiotherapy ({>=}30 Gy) between January 1994 and August 2008 were reviewed retrospectively. The median radiation dose was 39 Gy. Chemotherapy consisted of gemcitabine, cisplatin, or 5-FU alone or in various combinations, and was administered concurrently with radiotherapy in 38 patients. The follow-up period ranged from 2{approx}40 months (median, 8 months). The median survival, and the 1-and 2-year overall survival (OS) rates were 7 months, 15.7%, and 5.9%, respectively. Based on univariate analysis, the baseline CA19-9, performance status, and chemotherapy regimen were significant prognostic factors. The median survival was 8 months for CCRT, and 6 months for radiotherapy alone. The patients treated with gemcitabine-containing regimens had longer survival (median, 10 months) than the patients treated with radiotherapy alone (p=0.027). Twenty-three patients were available to evaluate the patterns of failure. Distant metastases (DM) occurred in 18 patients and regional recurrences were demonstrated in 4 patients. Local progression developed in 14 patients. We analyzed the association between the time-to-DM and the baseline CA19-9 levels for 18 evaluable patients. The median time-to-DM was 20 months for patients with normal baseline CA19-9 levels and 2 months for patients with baseline CA19-9 levels {>=}200 U/ml. CCRT with gemcitabine-based regimens was effective in improving OS in patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer. We suggest that the baseline CA19-9 level is valuable in determining the treatment strategy for patients with locally advanced, unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Particle accelerators use a great variety of power converters for energizing their sub-systems; while the total number of power converters usually depends on the size of the accelerator or combination of accelerators (including the experimental setup), the characteristics of power converters depend on their loads and on the particle physics requirements: this paper aims to provide an overview of the magnet power converters in use in several facilities worldwide.

Background and Purpose: The activities in radiotherapy are mainly affected by numerous partly very complex operational procedures which have to be completed while high safety requirements have to be fulfilled. This fact and steadily increasing economic pressure are forcing us to develop new strategies which help us to optimize our operational procedures and assure their reliability. As there are not so many radiotherapeutic institutions and the main focus, up to now, was mainly stressed on the acceleration systems (radiation planning, acceleration control), only few industrial systems are available which could also support the economic, organizational and administrative needs of radiotherapy. Methods: During the building operations for the 'new clinic for radiotherapy' at the University Hospital Freiburg, Germany, the staff of the clinical and administrative information and the medical physicists developed, in close cooperation with the physicians, a comprehensive concept to control and organize a radiotherapeutic institution. This concept was examined during the construction phase of the new clinic and the adjoined HBFG ('Hochschulbaufoerderungsgesetz') process by the 'Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft' and financed totally by federal funds. Results and Conclusion: The precondition for the goal to operate a homogeneous and comprehensive management of a clinic for radiotherapy was the direct connection of the acceleration area with the organizational/administrative surrounding. The thus developed common basic dates and consistence created transparency and allowed us for the first time to control all operational procedures by EDV-technical means. After 2 years full-time operation and implementation of numerous particular projects we are now ready for film- and paperless digital work. (orig.)

Due to their finite lifetime, muons must be accelerated very rapidly. It is challenging to make the magnets ramp fast enough to accelerate in a synchrotron, and accelerating in a linac is very expensive. One can use a recirculating accelerator (like CEBAF), but one needs a different arc for each turn, and this limits the number of turns one can use to accelerate, and therefore requires significant amounts of RF to achieve the desired energy gain. An alternative method for muon acceleration is using a fixed field alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerator. Such an accelerator has a very large energy acceptance (a factor of two or three), allowing one to use the same arc with a magnetic field that is constant over time. Thus, one can in principle make as many turns as one can tolerate due to muon decay, therefore reducing the RF cost without increasing the arc cost. This paper reviews the current status of research into the design of FFAGs for muon acceleration. Several current designs are described and compared. General design considerations are also discussed.

The goal of the MIT program of research on high gradient acceleration is the development of advanced acceleration concepts that lead to a practical and affordable next generation linear collider at the TeV energy level. Other applications, which are more near-term, include accelerators for materials processing; medicine; defense; mining; security; and inspection. The specific goals of the MIT program are: • Pioneering theoretical research on advanced structures for high gradient acceleration, including photonic structures and metamaterial structures; evaluation of the wakefields in these advanced structures • Experimental research to demonstrate the properties of advanced structures both in low-power microwave cold test and high-power, high-gradient test at megawatt power levels • Experimental research on microwave breakdown at high gradient including studies of breakdown phenomena induced by RF electric fields and RF magnetic fields; development of new diagnostics of the breakdown process • Theoretical research on the physics and engineering features of RF vacuum breakdown • Maintaining and improving the Haimson / MIT 17 GHz accelerator, the highest frequency operational accelerator in the world, a unique facility for accelerator research • Providing the Haimson / MIT 17 GHz accelerator facility as a facility for outside users • Active participation in the US DOE program of High Gradient Collaboration, including joint work with SLAC and with Los Alamos National Laboratory; participation of MIT students in research at the national laboratories • Training the next generation of Ph. D. students in the field of accelerator physics.

When large transverse and longitudinal emittances are to be transported through a circular machine, extremely rapid acceleration holds the advantage that the beam becomes immune to nonlinear resonances because there is insufficient time for amplitudes to build up. Uncooled muon beams exhibit large emittances and require fast acceleration to avoid decay losses and would benefit from this style of acceleration. The approach here employs a fixed-field alternating gradient or FFAG magnet structure and a fixed frequency acceleration system. Acceptance is enhanced by the use only of linear lattice elements, and fixed-frequency rf enables the use of cavities with large shunt resistance and quality factor.

Percentage depth dose curves were obtained with TLD-100 dosimeters, EDR2 films and Penelope simulation at the interfaces in an inhomogeneous mannequin, composed by equivalent materials to the human body built for this study, consisting of cylindrical plates of solid water-bone-lung-bone-solid water of 15 cm in diameter and 1 cm in height; plates were placed in descending way (4-2-8-2-4). Irradiated with Co-60 source (Theratron Equinox-100) for small radiation fields 3 x 3 cm{sup 2} and 1 x 1 cm{sup 2} at a surface source distance of 100 cm from mannequin. The TLD-100 dosimeters were placed in the center of each plate of mannequin irradiated at 10 Gy. The results were compared between these measurement techniques, giving good agreement in interfaces better than 97%. This study was compared with the same characteristics of another study realized with other equivalent materials to human body not homogeneous acrylic-bone-cork-bone-acrylic. The percentage depth dose curves were obtained with mini-dosimeters L-alanine of 1 mm in diameter and 3 mm in height and 3.5 to 4.0 mg of mass with spectrometer band K (EPR). The mini-dosimeters were irradiated with a lineal accelerator PRIMUS Siemens 6 MV. The results of percentage depth dose of L-alanine mini-dosimeters show a good agreement with the percentage depth dose curves of Penelope code, better than 97.7% in interfaces of tissues. (Author)

standardized transfer of most of the information wich circulates in a radiotherapy department. A wide range of device types are represented, (treatment planning systems, portal imaging devices, linear accelerators, recording and verifying systems, conventional and virtual simulators). There will be additions and perhaps new developments in dataflow management, more complete integration with HIS/RIS system and printing, but the lion's share of the work has now been done. A project to integrate some security features into the Dicom protocol has begun.

The Radiotherapy Quality Program (PQRT) of the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA) has developed a phantom for quality control in IMRT and has implemented it in its routine. It must be sent or taken to the participating institutions to be irradiated under certain conditions and then be returned to the PQRT, where the discrepancy degree between the planned treatment and those effectively delivered will be evaluated. This work aims to show the results of the use of this system to evaluate those radiotherapy services in Rio de Janeiro that perform the IMRT technique. To evaluate the conformity between the planned and delivered dose in the planning target volume (PTV) we have considered two parameters: absorbed dose measured with thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD) and gamma index of the dose distribution, measured with radiochromic films and a dose analysis software. We have evaluated all the radiotherapy services in Rio de Janeiro that performed the IMRT technique until the period of end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012. Among the nine linear accelerators evaluated, 33,3% of them were out of ± 3% for measured dose in PTV and 50% of them less than 95% of conformity for the 5%-3mm gamma index for the dose distribution. Although IMRT is a high precision radiotherapy technique and its use has spread out quickly over the world, its quality control still needs more attention, as demonstrated with the numbers presented in this work. This sample held in Rio de Janeiro can be extrapolated to other sites that perform the IMRT technique and its use in these services also need to be evaluated. (author)

A prototype C(6+) injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.

A prototype C6+ injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.

A prototype C{sup 6+} injector using a laser ion source has been developed for a compact synchrotron dedicated to carbon ion radiotherapy. The injector consists of a laser ion source and a 4-vane radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linac. Ion beams are extracted from plasma and directly injected into the RFQ. A solenoid guides the low-energy beams into the RFQ. The RFQ is designed to accelerate high-intensity pulsed beams. A structure of monolithic vanes and cavities is adopted to reduce its power consumption. In beam acceleration tests, a solenoidal magnetic field set between the laser ion source and the RFQ helped increase both the peak currents before and after the RFQ by a factor of 4.

Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) is a multidisciplinary procedure which combines two conventional methods of cancer treatment surgery and radiation therapy. The purpose is to deliver a large single dose to the surgically exposed tumor bed while minimizing doses to normal tissues. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is a technique which allows irradiating the patient directly after the surgical operation using a linear accelerator that can be situated in the operating room. For medical accelerators with energy over 10MeV the need to characterize the neutron spectra for this particular situation arises from the fact that, when neutron spectra is not fully known, it becomes necessary to be more cautious introducing a weight factor wR of 20 (maximum value). This leads to overesteem the equivalent dose due to neutrons and it indicates to introduce additional (mobile) shields for photon and neutrons radiation not easily achievable in an operating room.

The leakage radiation characteristics of a dedicated intraoperative radiotherapy linear accelerator have been measured on a machine designed to minimize the shielding required to allow it to be placed in an operating room suite. The scattering foil design was optimized to produce a flat beam for the field sizes employed while generating minimal bremsstrahlung contamination over the available energy range. More lead shielding was used in the treatment head than is used in conventional accelerators. A small amount of borated polyethylene shielding was also employed since neutron production was present at measurable levels. The room shielding installed in the operating room was demonstrated to be adequate to treat at least 20 patients each month to an average dose of 20 Gy. The worst case exposure was found to be 73% maximum permissible exposure. Administrative control was required for adjoining areas when calibrations and maintenance were performed.

Objective: to evaluate the reproducibility of daily patients' setup in 3D conformal radiotherapy for prostate cancer. Materials and methods: the present study evaluated a total of 960 radiological images (anterior and lateral views) of 120 patients submitted to conformal radiotherapy for prostate cancer with the isocentric technique. A 6 MV particle accelerator was utilized in the process. A specific protocol for prostate radiotherapy planning and treatment was applied, with the patients placed in supine position, hands on the chest and legs placed on and appropriate support. Daily, the patients were positioned according to previously made skin markings in alignment with the in-room laser. The portal images were compared with digitally reconstructed radiographs (DRR) in the Eclipse treatment planning system based on the tomographic images. Radiography was performed at the first day, and weekly afterwards until the treatment was completed. Results: the following average position shifts were observed: 1.99 +- 1.25 mm craniocaudally, 1.37 +- 0.84 mm laterally, and 1.94 +- 1.10 mm anteroposteriorly. Conclusion: the use of specific protocols for patients' setup is feasible in the clinical practice, allowing appropriate reproducibility and quick correction of possible errors in conformal radiotherapy for prostate cancer. (author)

In glioblastoma multiform-patients, advanced age has been associated with poor prognosis and decreased tolerance to treatments. The optimal management, especially with irradiation, was not definitively determined in the eighth and ninth decades. The Association of French-speaking neuro-oncologists (Anocef) has recently conducted a randomized clinical trial comparing radiotherapy plus supportive care versus supportive care alone in such patients. Patients aged 70-years and older with newly diagnosed glioblastoma and a Karnofsky performance score of 70 or above were randomly assigned to receive focal irradiation in daily fraction of 1.8 Gy given five days per week for a total dose of 50 Gy plus supportive care or supportive care only. Radiotherapy resulted in a modest but significant improvement in overall survival without reducing quality of life or cognition. However, the optimal regimen of radiotherapy in this fragile population remains uncertain. Abbreviated course of radiotherapy (40 Gy in 15 fractions over 19 days) has been proposed. Analysis of preliminary results showed that efficacy and safety of this hypo-fractionated accelerated regimen compared favourably with those of classically fractionated treatments. Finally, the potential contribution of surgery and chemotherapy should be evaluated in prospective clinical trials. (authors)

MRI-guided treatment is a growing area of medicine, particularly in radiotherapy and surgery. The exquisite soft tissue anatomic contrast offered by MRI, along with functional imaging, makes the use of MRI during therapeutic procedures very attractive. Challenging the utility of MRI in the therapy room are many issues including the physics of MRI and the impact on the environment and therapeutic instruments, the impact of the room and instruments on the MRI; safety, space, design and cost. In this session, the applications and challenges of MRI-guided treatment will be described. The session format is: Past, present and future: MRI-guided radiotherapy from 2005 to 2025: Jan Lagendijk Battling Maxwell’s equations: Physics challenges and solutions for hybrid MRI systems: Paul Keall I want it now!: Advances in MRI acquisition, reconstruction and the use of priors to enable fast anatomic and physiologic imaging to inform guidance and adaptation decisions: Yanle Hu MR in the OR: The growth and applications of MRI for interventional radiology and surgery: Rebecca Fahrig Learning Objectives: To understand the history and trajectory of MRI-guided radiotherapy To understand the challenges of integrating MR imaging systems with linear accelerators To understand the latest in fast MRI methods to enable the visualisation of anatomy and physiology on radiotherapy treatment timescales To understand the growing role and challenges of MRI for image-guided surgical procedures My disclosures are publicly available and updated at: http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/radiation-physics/about-us/disclosures.php.

The High Energy Accelerator Research Organization KEK digital accelerator (KEK-DA) is a renovation of the KEK 500 MeV booster proton synchrotron, which was shut down in 2006. The existing 40 MeV drift tube linac and rf cavities have been replaced by an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source embedded in a 200 kV high-voltage terminal and induction acceleration cells, respectively. A DA is, in principle, capable of accelerating any species of ion in all possible charge states. The KEK-DA is characterized by specific accelerator components such as a permanent magnet X-band ECR ion source, a low-energy transport line, an electrostatic injection kicker, an extraction septum magnet operated in air, combined-function main magnets, and an induction acceleration system. The induction acceleration method, integrating modern pulse power technology and state-of-art digital control, is crucial for the rapid-cycle KEK-DA. The key issues of beam dynamics associated with low-energy injection of heavy ions are beam loss caused by electron capture and stripping as results of the interaction with residual gas molecules and the closed orbit distortion resulting from relatively high remanent fields in the bending magnets. Attractive applications of this accelerator in materials and biological sciences are discussed.

Following the successful operation of the Fermilab superconducting accelerator three new higher energy accelerators were planned. They were the UNK in the Soviet Union, the LHC in Europe, and the SSC in the United States. All were expected to start producing physics about 1995. They did not. Why?

Diverse methods proposed for the acceleration of particles by means of collective fields are reviewed. A survey is made of the various currently active experimental programs devoted to investigating collective acceleration, and the present status of the research is briefly noted.

"Steve Meyers of Cern and Jie Wei of Beijing's Tsinghua University are the first recipients of a new prize for particle physics. The pair were honoured for their contributions to numerous particle-accelerator projects - including Cern's Large Hadron Collider - by the Asian Committee for Future Accelerators (ACFA)..." (1 paragraph)

Respiratory gating radiotherapy is used to irradiate a local area and to reduce normal tissue toxicity. There are certain methods for the detection of tumor motions, for example, using internal markers or an external respiration signal. However, because some of these respiratory monitoring systems require special or expensive equipment, respiratory monitoring can usually be performed only in limited facilities. In this study, the feasibility of using an acceleration sensor for respiratory monitoring was evaluated. The respiratory motion was represented by means of a platform and measured five times with the iPod touch (registered) at 3, 4 and 5 s periods of five breathing cycles. For these three periods of the reference waveform, the absolute means {+-} standard deviation (SD) of displacement were 0.45 {+-} 0.34 mm, 0.33 {+-} 0.24 mm and 0.31 {+-} 0.23 mm, respectively. On the other hand, the corresponding absolute means {+-} SD for the periods were 0.04 {+-} 0.09 s, 0.04 {+-} 0.02 s and 0.06 {+-} 0.04 s. The accuracy of respiratory monitoring using the acceleration sensor was satisfactory in terms of the absolute means {+-} SD. Using the iPod touch (registered) for respiratory monitoring does not need special equipment and makes respiratory monitoring easier. For these reasons, this system is a viable alternative to other respiratory monitoring systems.

Accelerator science and technology have evolved as accelerators became larger and important to a broad range of science. Physical Review Special Topics - Accelerators and Beams was established to serve the accelerator community as a timely, widely circulated, international journal covering the full breadth of accelerators and beams. The history of the journal and the innovations associated with it are reviewed.

The accelerated Kepler problem is obtained by adding a constant acceleration to the classical two-body Kepler problem. This setting models the dynamics of a jet-sustaining accretion disk and its content of forming planets as the disk loses linear momentum through the asymmetric jet-counterjet system it powers. The dynamics of the accelerated Kepler problem is analyzed using physical as well as parabolic coordinates. The latter naturally separate the problem's Hamiltonian into two unidimensional Hamiltonians. In particular, we identify the origin of the secular resonance in the accelerated Kepler problem and determine analytically the radius of stability boundary of initially circular orbits that are of particular interest to the problem of radial migration in binary systems as well as to the truncation of accretion disks through stellar jet acceleration.

The C-metric is revisited and global interpretation of some associated spacetimes are studied in some detail. Specially those with two event horizons, one for the black hole and another for the acceleration. We found that the spacetime fo an accelerated Schwarzschild black hole is plagued by either conical singularities or lack of smoothness and compactness of the black hole horizon. By using standard black hole thermodynamics we show that accelerated black holes have higher Hawking temperature than Unruh temperature. We also show that the usual upper bound on the product of the mass and acceleration parameters (<1/sqrt(27)) is just a coordinate artifact. The main results are extended to accelerated Kerr black holes. We found that they are not changed by the black hole rotation.

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to evaluate tumor control and side effects associated with fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in the management of residual or recurrent pituitary adenomas. Patients and methods: We report on 37 consecutive patients with pituitary adenomas treated with FSRT at our department. All patients had previously undergone surgery. Twenty-nine patients had nonfunctioning, 8 had hormone-producing adenoma. The mean total dose delivered by a linear accelerator was 49.4 Gy (range 45-52.2 Gy), 5 x 1.8 Gy weekly. The mean PTV was 22.8 ccm (range 2.0-78.3 ccm). Evaluation included serial imaging tests, endocrinologic and ophthalmologic examination. Results: Tumor control was 91.9 % for a median follow-up time of 57 months (range 2-111 months). Before FSRT partial hypopituitarism was present in 41 % of patients, while 35 % had anterior panhypopituitarism. After FSRT pituitary function remained normal in 22 %, 43 % had partial pituitary dysfunction, and 35 % had anterior panhypopituitarism. Visual acuity was stable in 76 % of patients, improved in 19 %, and deteriorated in 5 %. Visual fields remained stable in 35 patients (95 %), improved in one and worsened in 1 patient (2.7 %). Conclusion: FSRT is an effective and safe treatment for recurrent or residual pituitary adenoma. Good local tumor control and preservation of adjacent structures can be reached, even for large tumors. (orig.)

Radiotherapy treatments with high-energy (>8 MeV) photon beams are a standard procedure in clinical practice, given the skin and near-target volumes sparing effect, the accurate penetration and the uniform spatial dose distribution. On the other hand, despite these advantages, neutrons may be produced via the photo-nuclear (γ,n) reactions of the high-energy photons with the high-Z materials in the accelerator head, in the treatment room and in the patient, resulting in an unwanted dose contribution which is of concern, given its potential to induce secondary cancers, and which has to be monitored. This work presents the design and the test of a portable Dysprosium dosimeter to be used during clinical treatments to estimate the "in vivo" dose to the patient. The dosimeter has been characterized and validated with tissue-equivalent phantom studies with a Varian Clinical iX 18 MV photon beam, before using it with a group of patients treated at the S. Anna Hospital in Como. The working principle of the dosimeter together with the readout chain and the results in terms of delivered dose are presented.

Radiotherapy treatments with high-energy (>8MeV) photon beams are a standard procedure in clinical practice, given the skin and near-target volumes sparing effect, the accurate penetration and the uniform spatial dose distribution. On the other hand, despite these advantages, neutrons may be produced via the photo-nuclear (γ,n) reactions of the high-energy photons with the high-Z materials in the accelerator head, in the treatment room and in the patient, resulting in an unwanted dose contribution which is of concern, given its potential to induce secondary cancers, and which has to be monitored. This work presents the design and the test of a portable Dysprosium dosimeter to be used during clinical treatments to estimate the “in vivo” dose to the patient. The dosimeter has been characterized and validated with tissue-equivalent phantom studies with a Varian Clinical iX 18 MV photon beam, before using it with a group of patients treated at the S. Anna Hospital in Como. The working principle of the dosimeter together with the readout chain and the results in terms of delivered dose are presented.

Castleman's disease is a slowly progressive and rare lymphoproliferative disorder. Here, we report a 55-year-old woman with superior mediastinal Castleman's disease being misdiagnosed for a long term. We found a 4.3 cm mass localized in the superior mediastinum accompanied with severe clinical symptoms. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy, but the mass failed to be totally excised. Pathologic examination revealed a mediastinal mass of Castleman's disease. After radiotherapy of 30 Gy by 15 fractions, the patient no longer presented previous symptoms. At 3 months after radiotherapy of 60 Gy by 30 fractions, Computed tomography of the chest showed significantly smaller mass, indicating partial remission. Upon a 10-month follow-up, the patient was alive and free of symptoms.

Purpose/Objective: At the Danish wards for radiotherapy there are different rules regarding the intervals that have to pass from the moment the patients applies moisturizer until they can be treated. This is due to the fact that it is unclear whether the cream can cause bolus effect, thereby...... causing the dose to move towards the skin. This would increase the damages to the patient’s skin during the radiotherapy. There is no evidence on the use of moisturizers. Materials and Methods: We have carried out an experimental trial testing whether creams cause bolus effect. We used two pieces of pork...... which we each divided into three squares in order to test our three preparations: Decubal Original Clinic Cream, Panthenol cream and Panthetonol ointment. All scans were carried out using a 64 slice Philips Brilliance Big Bore CT scanner. Conclusions: According to our results of the ml. measurements we...

Vertebral hemangiomas are benign, slowly growing tumors sometimes causing local pain in the spine and/or neurologic disorders. The present paper includes 14 cases of painful vertebral hemangiomas treated by radiotherapy. All patients were irradiated using standard fractionation scheme with a total dose 20-30 Gy. One month after the treatment complete pain relief was noted in 36% of cases, five months later in 67% of cases, but in the remaining cases partial pain relief was noted. No correlation between treatment outcome and different biological and technical factors was found. No dose-response relationship was noted. The results suggest that anti-inflamatory effect of radiation plays the major role in this kind of treatment and that radiotherapy for vertebral hemangiomas is easy, short and highly effective analgetic treatment modality.

From March 1997 to November 1999, 45 patients with lung cancer were treated by astereotactic radiotherapy, with 15 cases treated by a stereotactic radiotherapy alone, and 30 cases by the external radiotherapy plus stereotactic radiotherapy. The clinical target volume was 1.89-187. 26 cm3 with the median being 18. 17 cm3. The doses of plan target volume (PTV) edge was 16-30 Gy/2-3 times and the doses of center was 120 % to 150 % of PTV edge doses. The overall response rate was 84.4 % (38/45), with 11 complete response (CR) and 27 partial response (PR). This study confirmed that the stereotactic radiotherapy is a safe and effective therapy for lung cancer. For those early-stage patients who can tolerate neither operation nor even conventional radiotherapy for various reasons, it can both achieve therapeutic purpose and improve quality of life.

A case of glioblastoma multiforme that occurred 14 years after radiotherapy for acromegaly is presented. The striking correspondence between the anatomy of the tumor and the geometry of the radiation ports is suggestive of a causal relationship. Previously reported cases of radiation-associated glioma are reviewed, and a brief appraisal of the evidence for induction of these lesions by radiation is presented. The differentiation of radiation-associated neoplasms from radionecrosis is also discussed.

Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) in its broadest sense refers to the delivery of radiation at the time of an opera-tion. It includes multiple techniques, namely intraoperative electron irradiation, intraoperative brachytherapy and intraopera-tive photon irradiation. It has a wide range of existing and potential y enlarging clinical applications. We wil discuss in this review the rationale for and use of intraoperative irradiation in conjunction with surgical exploration with or without external-beam irradiation (EBRT) and chemotherapy.

We present an algorithm for solid organ registration of pre-segmented data represented as tetrahedral meshes. Registration of the organ surface is driven by force terms based on a distance field representation of the source and reference shapes. Registration of internal morphology is achieved usi...... to complete. The proposed method has many potential uses in image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) which relies on registration to account for organ deformation between treatment sessions....

New high-precision radiotherapy (RT) techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or hadrontherapy, allow better dose distribution within the target and spare a larger portion of normal tissue than conventional RT. These techniques require accurate tumour volume delineation and intrinsic characterization, as well as verification of target localisation and monitoring of organ motion and response assessment during treatment. These tasks are strongly dependent on imaging technologies. Among these, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography (US) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been applied in high-precision RT. For tumour volume delineation and characterization, PET has brought an additional dimension to the management of cancer patients by allowing the incorporation of crucial functional and molecular images in RT treatment planning, i.e. direct evaluation of tumour metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptosis, hypoxia and angiogenesis. The combination of PET and CT in a single imaging system (PET/CT) to obtain a fused anatomical and functional dataset is now emerging as a promising tool in radiotherapy departments for delineation of tumour volumes and optimization of treatment plans. Another exciting new area is image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), which focuses on the potential benefit of advanced imaging and image registration to improve precision, daily target localization and monitoring during treatment, thus reducing morbidity and potentially allowing the safe delivery of higher doses. The variety of IGRT systems is rapidly expanding, including cone beam CT and US. This article examines the increasing role of imaging techniques in the entire process of high-precision radiotherapy. (orig.)

New high-precision radiotherapy (RT) techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) or hadrontherapy, allow better dose distribution within the target and spare a larger portion of normal tissue than conventional RT. These techniques require accurate tumour volume delineation and intrinsic characterization, as well as verification of target localisation and monitoring of organ motion and response assessment during treatment. These tasks are strongly dependent on imaging technologies. Among these, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasonography (US) and positron emission tomography (PET) have been applied in high-precision RT. For tumour volume delineation and characterization, PET has brought an additional dimension to the management of cancer patients by allowing the incorporation of crucial functional and molecular images in RT treatment planning, i.e. direct evaluation of tumour metabolism, cell proliferation, apoptosis, hypoxia and angiogenesis. The combination of PET and CT in a single imaging system (PET/CT) to obtain a fused anatomical and functional dataset is now emerging as a promising tool in radiotherapy departments for delineation of tumour volumes and optimization of treatment plans. Another exciting new area is image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), which focuses on the potential benefit of advanced imaging and image registration to improve precision, daily target localization and monitoring during treatment, thus reducing morbidity and potentially allowing the safe delivery of higher doses. The variety of IGRT systems is rapidly expanding, including cone beam CT and US. This article examines the increasing role of imaging techniques in the entire process of high-precision radiotherapy.

Full Text Available Background: Brain metastases are a common manifestation of systemic cancer and exceed primary brain tumors in number and are a significant cause of neurologic problems. They affect 20-40% of all cancer patients. Aggressive management of brain metastases is effective in both symptom palliation and prolonging the life. Radiotherapy has a major role to play in the management of brain metastases. AIM: The aim of the study was to know the outcome of palliative radiotherapy in symptomatic brain metastases in terms of improvement in their performance status. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective study of 63 patients diagnosed to have brain metastases and treated with palliative whole brain radiotherapy to a dose of 30 Gy in 10 fractions over two weeks between June 1998 and June 2007. Diagnosis was done in most of the cases with computed tomography scan and in a few with magnetic resonance imaging. Improvement in presenting symptoms has been assessed in terms of improvement in their performance status by using the ECOG scale. Results: Fifty-four patients completed the planned treatment. Eight patients received concurrent Temozolamide; 88% of patients had symptom relief at one month follow-up; 39/54 patients had a follow-up of just one to three months. Hence survival could not be assessed in this study. Conclusion: External beam radiotherapy in the dose of 30 Gy over two weeks achieved good palliation in terms improvement in their performance status in 88% of patients. Addition of concurrent and adjuvant Timozolamide may improve the results.

A prospective pilot study of partial breast irradiation (PBI) with conventional vs hypofractionated schedules was set out. The study aimed to determine efficacy, acute and late side effects, and the preference of photon vs electron irradiation based on individual features. Patients were enrolled according to internationally accepted guidelines on PBI. Conformal radiotherapy plans were generated with both photon and electron beams, and the preferred technique based on dose homogeneity and the radiation exposure of healthy tissues was applied. For electron dose verification, a special phantom was constructed. Patients were randomized for fractionation schedules of 25 × 2 vs 13 × 3 Gy. Skin and breast changes were registered at the time of and ≥1 year after the completion of radiotherapy. Dose homogeneity was better with photons. If the tumor bed was located in the inner quadrants, electron beam gave superior results regarding conformity and sparing of organ at risk (OAR). If the tumor was situated in the lateral quadrants, conformity was better with photons. A depth of the tumor bed ≥3.0 cm predicted the superiority of photon irradiation (odds ratio [OR] = 23.6, 95% CI: 5.2 to 107.5, p < 0.001) with >90% sensitivity and specificity. After a median follow-up of 39 months, among 72 irradiated cases, 1 local relapse out of the tumor bed was detected. Acute radiodermatitis of grade I to II, hyperpigmentation, and telangiectasia developed ≥1 year after radiotherapy, exclusively after electron beam radiotherapy. The choice of electrons or photons for PBI should be based on tumor bed location; the used methods are efficient and feasible.

A prospective pilot study of partial breast irradiation (PBI) with conventional vs hypofractionated schedules was set out. The study aimed to determine efficacy, acute and late side effects, and the preference of photon vs electron irradiation based on individual features. Patients were enrolled according to internationally accepted guidelines on PBI. Conformal radiotherapy plans were generated with both photon and electron beams, and the preferred technique based on dose homogeneity and the radiation exposure of healthy tissues was applied. For electron dose verification, a special phantom was constructed. Patients were randomized for fractionation schedules of 25 × 2 vs 13 × 3Gy. Skin and breast changes were registered at the time of and ≥1 year after the completion of radiotherapy. Dose homogeneity was better with photons. If the tumor bed was located in the inner quadrants, electron beam gave superior results regarding conformity and sparing of organ at risk (OAR). If the tumor was situated in the lateral quadrants, conformity was better with photons. A depth of the tumor bed ≥3.0cm predicted the superiority of photon irradiation (odds ratio [OR] = 23.6, 95% CI: 5.2 to 107.5, p 90% sensitivity and specificity. After a median follow-up of 39 months, among 72 irradiated cases, 1 local relapse out of the tumor bed was detected. Acute radiodermatitis of grade I to II, hyperpigmentation, and telangiectasia developed ≥1 year after radiotherapy, exclusively after electron beam radiotherapy. The choice of electrons or photons for PBI should be based on tumor bed location; the used methods are efficient and feasible.

The most popular mechanism for the acceleration of cosmic rays, which is thought to operate in supernova remnant shocks as well as at heliospheric shocks, is the diffusive shock acceleration, which is a Fermi mechanism based on normal diffusion. On the other hand, in the last few years it has been shown that the transport of plasma particles in the presence of electric and magnetic turbulence can be superdiffusive rather than normal diffusive. The term 'superdiffusive' refers to the mean square displacement of particle positions growing superlinearly with time, as compared to the normal linear growth. In particular, superdiffusion is characterized by a non Gaussian statistical process called Levy random walk. We show how diffusive shock acceleration is modified by superdiffusion, and how this yields new predictions for the cosmic ray spectral index, for the acceleration time, and for the spatial profile of energetic particles. A comparison with observations of particle acceleration at heliospheric shocks and at supernova remnant shocks is done. We discuss how superdiffusive shock acceleration allows to explain the observations of hard ion spectra at the solar wind termination shock detected by Voyager 2, of hard radio spectra due to synchrotron emission of electrons accelerated at supernova remnant shocks, and how it can help to explain the observations of 'thin rims' in the X-ray synchrotron emission.

The image that most people have of CERN is of its enormous accelerators and their capacity to accelerate particles to extremely high energies. But thanks to some cutting-edge studies on beam dynamics and radiofrequency technology, along with innovative construction techniques, teams at CERN have now created the first module of a brand-new accelerator, which will be just 2 metres long. The potential uses of this miniature accelerator will include deployment in hospitals for the production of medical isotopes and the treatment of cancer. It’s a real David-and-Goliath story. Serge Mathot, in charge of the construction of the "mini-RFQ", pictured with the first of the four modules that will make up the miniature accelerator. The miniature accelerator consists of a radiofrequency quadrupole (RFQ), a component found at the start of all proton accelerator chains around the world, from the smallest to the largest. The LHC is designed to produce very high-intensity beams ...

Cancer is the second-largest cause of death in the U.S. and approximately two-thirds of all cancer patients will receive radiation therapy with the majority of the radiation treatments performed using x-rays produced by electron linacs. Charged particle beam radiation therapy, both protons and light ions, however, offers advantageous physical-dose distributions over conventional photon radiotherapy, and, for particles heavier than protons, a significant biological advantage. Despite recognition of potential advantages, there is almost no research activity in this field in the U.S. due to the lack of clinical accelerator facilities offering light ion therapy in the States. In January, 2013, a joint DOE/NCI workshop was convened to address the challenges of light ion therapy [1], inviting more than 60 experts from diverse fields related to radiation therapy. This paper reports on the conclusions of the workshop, then translates the clinical requirements into accelerat or and beam-delivery technical specifications. A comparison of available or feasible accelerator technologies is compared, including a new concept for a compact, CW, and variable energy light ion accelerator currently under development. This new light ion accelerator is based on advances in nonscaling Fixed-Field Alternating gradient (FFAG) accelerator design. The new design concepts combine isochronous orbits with long (up to 4m) straight sections in a compact racetrack format allowing inner circulating orbits to be energy selected for low-loss, CW extraction, effectively eliminating the high-loss energy degrader in conventional CW cyclotron designs.

The strong radiation pressure carried by high-intensity lasers interacting with plasmas can accelerate ions over very short distances. The resulting compact particle accelerator could find applications in medical physics (radiotherapy) as well as in fundamental physics (hadron interactions). With next-generation multi-petawatt lasers, reaching focused intensity 1023Wcm-2 , ions could potentially reach GeV energies. However, the physics of laser-matter interactions at these extreme intensities is not well understood. In particular, on acceleration by the electromagnetic fields of the laser, the electrons in the plasma start to radiate hard photons prolifically. These hard photons can decay to electron-positron pairs, a cascade of pair production can ensue leading to the formation of an over-dense pair plasma which can absorb the laser-pulse. We have developed a self-consistent theory for both hole boring and light sail radiation pressure ion-acceleration, accounting for radiation-reaction and pair-creation. We show that the key role is played by a pair plasma that arises between the laser and the accelerated ions, strongly modifying the laser absorption.

Forty-eight patients with anal canal cancers were treated with surgery and irradiation or irradiation alone during the period 1970-1982. All cases were treated by external megavoltage equipment. The overall 5-year survival was 50%, and the local recurrence rate 33%. According to the therapy, four major groups were analysed: radical surgery followed by post-operative irradiation (5-year survival 43%, local recurrence rate 38%), incomplete major surgery and post-operative irradiation with very inferior prognosis (none of the patients surviving beyond 52 months). Two groups of patients had sphincter-saving procedures: local surgery followed by irradiation (5-year survival 78%, local recurrence rate 22%) and primary irradiation (5-year survival 57%, local recurrence rate 14%). Lymph node positive patients showed a median survival of 24.5 months against 52 months in N0 cases (5-year survival 21% against 50%). Side-effects of radiotherapy were transient and mild, and no late severe sequelae were seen. The data indicate that post-operative external radiotherapy seems insufficient and unable to decrease the local recurrence rate, especially when surgery is incomplete. Both spincter-saving surgery and radiotherapy, as well as primary irradiation, are effective treatment modalities. These data are analysed and future aspects considering combined radiochemotherapy are discussed.

Pain symptoms caused by bone lesions of multiple myeloma can be relieved by a local irradiation treatment. To estimate the influence of systemic treatment on the palliative effect of local radiotherapy the records of 70 myeloma patients treated with chemotherapy combined with or followed by local irradiation were reviewed. The local response rate, defined as complete pain relief at the irradiated site, was 80 percent in patients receiving irradiation during chemotherapy (melphalan and prednisone) and this palliative effect endured 31.8+-3.6 months. If irradiation was started in the period without systemic treatment the local response rate was 39.6 percent and lasted 24.8+-17.9 months. In sites treated with more than one radiotherapy course 94 percent response after the 1st treatment, 56 percent after the 2nd and no response after the 3rd was achieved. The duration of local pain control was positively related to the applied radiation dose. It is concluded that irradiation during concomitant chemotherapy is superior to radiotherapy performed in a period without systemic treatment. Local long-term palliation can only be achieved by a sufficient high radiation dose. (author). 24 refs.; 2 figs.; 2 tabs.

Radiation therapy is a first-line treatment option for localized prostate cancer and radiation-induced normal tissue damage are often the main limiting factor for modern radiotherapy regimens. Conversely, under-dosing of target volumes in an attempt to spare adjacent healthy tissues limits the likelihood of achieving local, long-term control. Thus, the ability to generate personalized data-driven risk profiles for radiotherapy outcomes would provide valuable prognostic information to help guide both clinicians and patients alike. Big data applied to radiation oncology promises to deliver better understanding of outcomes by harvesting and integrating heterogeneous data types, including patient-specific clinical parameters, treatment-related dose-volume metrics, and biological risk factors. When taken together, such variables make up the basis for a multi-dimensional space (the "RadoncSpace") in which the presented modeling techniques search in order to identify significant predictors. Herein, we review outcome modeling and big data-mining techniques for both tumor control and radiotherapy-induced normal tissue effects. We apply many of the presented modeling approaches onto a cohort of hypofractionated prostate cancer patients taking into account different data types and a large heterogeneous mix of physical and biological parameters. Cross-validation techniques are also reviewed for the refinement of the proposed framework architecture and checking individual model performance. We conclude by considering advanced modeling techniques that borrow concepts from big data analytics, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, before discussing the potential future impact of systems radiobiology approaches.

A 42-year-old woman developed lower extremity weakness and sensory loss 1 year after external and intracavitary radiotherapy for Stage IB carcinoma of cervix. She has been followed for 5 years posttreatment, and the neurologic abnormalities have persisted, but no evidence of recurrent carcinoma has been found. We believe this to be a rare case of sacral plexus radiculopathy developing as a late complication after radiotherapy. Suggestions are made for improving the radiotherapy technique to prevent this complication in future cases.

Various subgroups of breast tumours have been identified during the last 10 years according to the risk of local relapse. Prognostic factors for local relapse are age, surgical margins, tumour size, Her2 expression and hormonal receptors status. For tumours with a high risk of local relapse, an increased in boost dose or the addition of new drugs (trastuzumab, anti-angiogenics, PARP inhibitors) could be considered. For low risk tumours, hypo-fractionated, accelerated partial breast and intraoperative radiotherapy are being evaluated. The classical schedule (45-50 Gy to the whole gland followed by a boost dose of 16 Gy) is no longer the universal rule. Treatment individualization, according to clinical and biological characteristics of the tumour and - possibly - to the radiobiological profile of the patient, is likely to be the future of breast cancer radiotherapy. (authors)

This document is part of Subvolume C 'Accelerators and Colliders' of Volume 21 'Elementary Particles' of Landolt-Börnstein - Group I 'Elementary Particles, Nuclei and Atoms'. It contains the the Section '11.3 Accelerators in Medicine' of the Chapter '11 Application of Accelerators and Storage Rings' with the content: 11.3 Accelerators in Medicine 11.3.1 Accelerators and Radiopharmaceuticals 11.3.2 Accelerators and Cancer Therapy

An anthropological study has been carried out in order to evaluate the need expressed by patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment. The study was mostly qualitative and based on the radiotherapy experiences of 13 women with breast cancer and six men with head and neck cancer. A 24-year-old female anthropologist spent one year in the department of radiotherapy at the Bergonie Institute in Bordeaux. She collected data on patients' needs through the observation of their experience of treatment and personal interviews. These were put in context, analyzed both by qualitative and quantitative methods. The results pointed out the need for more information on the different steps of treatment and the patient's need 'for a smile'front the medical team; in other words, emphatic support. (author)

This book deals with the new method of laser-driven acceleration for application to radiation biophysics and medicine. It provides multidisciplinary contributions from world leading scientist in order to assess the state of the art of innovative tools for radiation biology research and medical applications of ionizing radiation. The book contains insightful contributions on highly topical aspects of spatio-temporal radiation biophysics, evolving over several orders of magnitude, typically from femtosecond and sub-micrometer scales. Particular attention is devoted to the emerging technology of laser-driven particle accelerators and their applicatio to spatio-temporal radiation biology and medical physics, customization of non-conventional and selective radiotherapy and optimized radioprotection protocols.

The resolution to the classic twin paradox in special relativity rests on the asymmetry of acceleration. Yet most students are not exposed to a satisfactory analysis of what exactly happens during the acceleration phase that results in the nonaccelerated observer's more rapid aging. The simple treatment presented here offers both graphical and quantitative solutions to the problem, leading to the correct result that the acceleration-induced age gap is 2Lβ years when the one-way distance L is expressed in light-years and velocity β ≡v/c .

The majority of cancer patients achieve benefit from radiotherapy. A significant limitation of radiotherapy is its relatively low therapeutic index, defined as the maximum radiation dose that causes acceptable normal tissue damage to the minimum dose required to achieve tumor control. Recently, a new radiotherapy modality using synchrotron-generated X-ray microbeam radiotherapy has been demonstrated in animal models to ablate tumors with concurrent sparing of normal tissue. Very little work has been undertaken into the cellular and molecular mechanisms that differentiate microbeam radiotherapy from broad beam. The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the whole genome transcriptional response of in vivo microbeam radiotherapy versus broad beam irradiated tumors. We hypothesized that gene expression changes after microbeam radiotherapy are different from those seen after broad beam. We found that in EMT6.5 tumors at 4-48 h postirradiation, microbeam radiotherapy differentially regulates a number of genes, including major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigen gene family members, and other immunity-related genes including Ciita, Ifng, Cxcl1, Cxcl9, Indo and Ubd when compared to broad beam. Our findings demonstrate molecular differences in the tumor response to microbeam versus broad beam irradiation and these differences provide insight into the underlying mechanisms of microbeam radiotherapy and broad beam.

Major technical advances in radiotherapy, including IMRT and image-guided radiotherapy, have allowed for improved physical precision and increased dose delivery to the tumor, with better sparing of surrounding normal tissue. The development of inhibitors of the sensing and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is exciting and could be combined with precise radiotherapy targeting to improve local control following radiotherapy. However, caution must be exercised in order that DSB inhibitors are combined with radiotherapy in such a manner as to preserve the therapeutic ratio by exploiting repair deficiencies in malignant cells over that of normal cells. In this review, we discuss the rationale and current approaches to targeting DSB sensing and repair pathways in combined modality with radiotherapy. We also describe potential biomarkers that could be useful in detecting functional inhibition of DSB repair in a patient's tissues during clinical radiotherapy trials. Finally, we examine a number of issues relating to the use of DSB-inhibiting molecular agents and radiotherapy in the context of the tumor microenvironment, effects on normal tissues and the optimal timing and duration of the agent in relation to fractionated radiotherapy.

Adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery or exclusive radiotherapy, with or without concurrent chemotherapy is a valuable treatment option in the great majority of patients with head and neck cancer. Recent technical progress in radiotherapy has resulted in a decreased incidence of xerostomia. Another common toxicity of radiotherapy is dysphagia, which alters the nutritional status and quality of life of patients in remission. The objective of this review is to describe the physiology of swallowing function, the pathophysiology of radiation-induced dysphagia and the various strategies currently available to prevent this complication.

At present it is not common to find commercial planning systems that incorporate dose calculation algorithms to do based on Monte Carlo [1,2] photons This paper summarizes the process followed in the evaluation of a dose calculation algorithm for MC beams of 6 MV photons from an accelerator dedicated to radiosurgery (SRS), cranial stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) and extracranial (SBRT). (Author)

Acute mucositis is common after radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. During the past 3 decades, there was a gradual evolution in the treatment modalities for locally advanced carcinomas (concomitant radio-chemotherapy, acceleratedradiotherapy). These new strategies are accompanied by an increase in early mucosal reactions. At the present time, there is no widely accepted prophylaxis or effective treatment. Many traditional remedies or new agents seem ineffective (Sucralfate, Chlorhexidine, GM-CSF, Silver nitrate, Prostaglandin, anti-oxidants, Benzydamine hydrochloride), while others seem promising (Povidone-iodine, nonabsorbable antibiotic lozenges and anti-fungal, local GM-CSF, Glutamide, Low-energy laser, corticosteroids). Radioprotectors are controversial and should be only used in experimental protocols and not in routine practice. However, some recommendations can be proposed: general prevention and global care before cancer therapy should be systematic (oral hygiene, dental and periodontal treatment, advice to avoid the use of tobacco and alcohol); frequent oral rinsing with a bland mouthwash (Povidone-iodine or others) should be used at the start of treatment because there are significant modifications of the oral microflora increased by a disturbed salivary flow; these mouthwashes could be associated with nonabsorbable antibiotic lozenges or anti-fungal topical (bicarbonates, Amphotericine B); Systematic percutaneous fluoroscopic gastrostomy should be decided before any aggressive treatments (concomitant radio-chemotherapy, acceleratedradiotherapy); pain should be controlled; finally, the radiation technique should be optimized (mucosal sparing block, conformal radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy). (authors)

Fatigue is a common complaint for the cancer patient during and after radiotherapy, according to the published studies. Fatigue is a subjective symptom mostly underestimated by oncologists and other care givers. Etiology is complex, poorly understood in spite of obvious causes like insomnia, nausea, pain, depression, psychological distress, anemia, hypothyroidism, menopause disturbances, treatment adverse effects. Fatigue presents multi-factorial and multidimensional aspects. To evaluate it, many tools can be used as single-item, unidimensional and multidimensional instruments. Practically, the open discussion with the patient throughout radiotherapy is essential to define it. Taking charge fatigue requires its acknowledgement by radiotherapist, treatment of associated symptoms with a multidisciplinary approach. (authors)

One drawback of the growth in conformal radiotherapy and image-guided radiotherapy is the increased time needed to define the volumes of interest. This also results in inter- and intra-observer variability. However, developments in computing and image processing have enabled these tasks to be partially or totally automated. This article will provide a detailed description of the main principles of image segmentation in radiotherapy, its applications and the most recent results in a clinical context. (authors)

In the vast majority of accelerator applications, ground vibration amplitudes are well below tolerable magnet jitter amplitudes. In these cases, it is necessary and sufficient to design a rigid magnet support structure that does not amplify ground vibration. Since accelerator beam lines are typically installed at an elevation of 1-2m above ground level, special care has to be taken in order to avoid designing a support structure that acts like an inverted pendulum with a low resonance frequency, resulting in untolerable lateral vibration amplitudes of the accelerator components when excited by either ambient ground motion or vibration sources within the accelerator itself, such as cooling water pumps or helium flow in superconducting magnets. In cases where ground motion amplitudes already exceed the required jiter tolerances, for instance in future linear colliders, passive vibration damping or active stabilization may be considered.

The CERN and US Particle Accelerator Schools recently organised a Joint International Accelerator School on Beam Loss and Accelerator Protection, held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Newport Beach, California, USA from 5-14 November 2014. This Joint School was the 13th in a series of such schools, which started in 1985 and also involves the accelerator communities in Japan and Russia. Photo courtesy of Alfonse Pham, Michigan State University. The school attracted 58 participants representing 22 different nationalities, with around half from Europe and the other half from Asia and the Americas. The programme comprised 26 lectures, each of 90 minutes, and 13 hours of case study. The students were given homework each day and had an opportunity to sit a final exam, which counted towards university credit. Feedback from the participants was extremely positive, praising the expertise and enthusiasm of the lecturers, as well as the high standard and quality of their lectures. Initial dis...

In the coming years and especially in 2005, CERN's accelerators are going to receive an extensive renovation programme to ensure they will perform reliably and effectively when the LHC comes into service.

A higher-order TM02 n mode accelerating structure is proposed based on a novel concept of dielectric loaded rf cavities. This accelerating structure consists of ultralow-loss dielectric cylinders and disks with irises which are periodically arranged in a metallic enclosure. Unlike conventional dielectric loaded accelerating structures, most of the rf power is stored in the vacuum space near the beam axis, leading to a significant reduction of the wall loss, much lower than that of conventional normal-conducting linac structures. This allows us to realize an extremely high quality factor and a very high shunt impedance at room temperature. A simulation of a 5 cell prototype design with an existing alumina ceramic indicates an unloaded quality factor of the accelerating mode over 120 000 and a shunt impedance exceeding 650 M Ω /m at room temperature.

A solution of the (4+n)-dimensional vacuum Einstein equations is found for which spacetime is compactified on a compact hyperbolic manifold of time-varying volume to a flat four-dimensional FLRW cosmology undergoing accelerated expansion in Einstein conformal frame. This shows that the `no-go' theorem forbidding acceleration in `standard' (time-independent) compactifications of string/M-theory does not apply to `cosmological' (time-dependent) hyperbolic compactifications.

In this summer issue we look at how developments in collimator materials could have applications in aerospace and beyond, and how Polish researchers are harnessing accelerators for medical and industrial uses. We see how the LHC luminosity upgrade is linking with European industry and US researchers, and how the neutrino oscillation community is progressing. We find out the mid-term status of TIARA-PP and how it is mapping European accelerator education resources.

Ultrasensitive SIMS with accelerator based spectrometers has recently begun to be applied to biomedical problems. Certain very long-lived radioisotopes of very low natural abundances can be used to trace metabolism at environmental dose levels ( [greater-or-equal, slanted] z mol in mg samples). 14C in particular can be employed to label a myriad of compounds. Competing technologies typically require super environmental doses that can perturb the system under investigation, followed by uncertain extrapolation to the low dose regime. 41Ca and 26Al are also used as elemental tracers. Given the sensitivity of the accelerator method, care must be taken to avoid contamination of the mass spectrometer and the apparatus employed in prior sample handling including chemical separation. This infant field comprises the efforts of a dozen accelerator laboratories. The Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry has been particularly active. In addition to collaborating with groups further afield, we are researching the kinematics and binding of genotoxins in-house, and we support innovative uses of our capability in the disciplines of chemistry, pharmacology, nutrition and physiology within the University of California. The field can be expected to grow further given the numerous potential applications and the efforts of several groups and companies to integrate more the accelerator technology into biomedical research programs; the development of miniaturized accelerator systems and ion sources capable of interfacing to conventional HPLC and GMC, etc. apparatus for complementary chemical analysis is anticipated for biomedical laboratories.

Particle accelerator, a powerful tool to energize beams of charged particles to a desired speed and energy, has been the working horse for investigating the fundamental structure of matter and fundermental laws of nature. Most known examples are the 2-mile long Stanford Linear Accelerator at SLAC, the high energy proton and anti-proton collider Tevatron at FermiLab, and Large Hadron Collider that is currently under operation at CERN. During the less than a century development of accelerator science and technology that led to a dazzling list of discoveries, particle accelerators have also found various applications beyond particle and nuclear physics research, and become an indispensible part of the economy. Today, one can find a particle accelerator at almost every corner of our lives, ranging from the x-ray machine at the airport security to radiation diagnostic and therapy in hospitals. This presentation will give a brief introduction of the applications of this powerful tool in fundermental research as well as in industry. Challenges in accelerator science and technology will also be briefly presented

Fiber-coupled organic plastic scintillators present an attractive method for time-resolved dose measurements during radiotherapy. Most organic scintillators exhibit a fast response, making it possible to use them to measure individual high-energy X-ray pulses from a medical linear accelerator. Th...... performed on Varian medical linear accelerators, delivering 6 MV X-ray beams. The dose delivery per radiation pulse was found to agree with expectations within roughly 1%, although minor discrepancies and transients were evident in the measurements....

Shock waves, as shown by simulations and observations, can generate high levels of downstream vortical turbulence, including magnetic islands. We consider a combination of diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) and downstream magnetic-island-reconnection-related processes as an energization mechanism for charged particles. Observations of electron and ion distributions downstream of interplanetary shocks and the heliospheric termination shock (HTS) are frequently inconsistent with the predictions of classical DSA. We utilize a recently developed transport theory for charged particles propagating diffusively in a turbulent region filled with contracting and reconnecting plasmoids and small-scale current sheets. Particle energization associated with the anti-reconnection electric field, a consequence of magnetic island merging, and magnetic island contraction, are considered. For the former only, we find that (i) the spectrum is a hard power law in particle speed, and (ii) the downstream solution is constant. For downstream plasmoid contraction only, (i) the accelerated spectrum is a hard power law in particle speed; (ii) the particle intensity for a given energy peaks downstream of the shock, and the distance to the peak location increases with increasing particle energy, and (iii) the particle intensity amplification for a particular particle energy, f(x,c/{c}0)/f(0,c/{c}0), is not 1, as predicted by DSA, but increases with increasing particle energy. The general solution combines both the reconnection-induced electric field and plasmoid contraction. The observed energetic particle intensity profile observed by Voyager 2 downstream of the HTS appears to support a particle acceleration mechanism that combines both DSA and magnetic-island-reconnection-related processes.

According to the World Health Organization (2014) breast cancer is the main cause of death by cancer in women worldwide. The biggest challenge of radiotherapy in the treatment of cancer is to deposit the entire prescribed dose homogeneously in the breast, sparing the surrounding tissue. In this context, this paper aimed at evaluating and comparing internal dose distribution in the mammary gland based on experimental procedures submitted to two distinct energy spectra produced in breast cancer radiotherapy. The methodology consisted of reproducing opposite parallel fields used in the treatment of breast tumors in a chest phantom. This simulator with synthetic breast, composed of equivalent tissue material (TE), was previously developed by the NRI Research Group (UFMG). The computer tomography (CT) scan of the simulator was obtained antecedently. The radiotherapy planning systems (TPS) in the chest phantom were performed in the ECLIPSE system from Varian Medical Systems and CAT 3D system from MEVIS. The irradiations were reproduced in the Varian linear accelerator, model SL- 20 Precise, 6 MV energy and Varian linear accelerator, 4 MV Clinac 6x SN11 model. Calibrations of the absorbed dose versus optical density from radiochromic films were generated in order to obtain experimental dosimetric distribution at the films positioned within the glandular and skin equivalent tissues of the chest phantom. The spatial dose distribution showed equivalence with the TPS on measurement data performed in the 6 MV spectrum. The average dose found in radiochromic films placed on the skin ranged from 49 to 79%, and from 39 to 49% in the mammary areola, for the prescribed dose. Dosimetric comparisons between the spectra of 4 and 6 MV, keeping the constant geometry of the fields applied in the same phantom, will be presented showing their equivalence in breast radiotherapy, as well as the variations will be discussed. To sum up, the dose distribution has reached the value expected in

Digital Tomosynthesis (DTS) is an image modality in reconstructing tomographic images from two-dimensional kV projections covering a narrow scan angles. Comparing with conventional cone-beam CT (CBCT), it requires less time and radiation dose in data acquisition. It is feasible to apply this technique in patient positioning in radiotherapy. To facilitate its clinical application, a software tool was developed and the reconstruction processes were accelerated by graphic process-ing unit (GPU). Two reconstruction and two registration processes are required for DTS application which is different from conventional CBCT application which requires one image reconstruction process and one image registration process. The reconstruction stage consists of productions of two types of DTS. One type of DTS is reconstructed from cone-beam (CB) projections covering a narrow scan angle and is named onboard DTS (ODTS), which represents the real patient position in treatment room. Another type of DTS is reconstructed from digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) and is named reference DTS (RDTS), which represents the ideal patient position in treatment room. Prior to the reconstruction of RDTS, The DRRs are reconstructed from planning CT using the same acquisition setting of CB projections. The registration stage consists of two matching processes between ODTS and RDTS. The target shift in lateral and longitudinal axes are obtained from the matching between ODTS and RDTS in coronal view, while the target shift in longitudinal and vertical axes are obtained from the matching between ODTS and RDTS in sagittal view. In this software, both DRR and DTS reconstruction algorithms were implemented on GPU environments for acceleration purpose. The comprehensive evaluation of this software tool was performed including geometric accuracy, image quality, registration accuracy, and reconstruction efficiency. The average correlation coefficient between DRR/DTS generated by GPU-based algorithm

Respiration-gated radiotherapy offers a significant potential for improvement in the irradiation of tumor sites affected by respiratory motion such as lung, breast and liver tumors. An increased conformality of irradiation fields leading to decreased complications rates of organs at risk (lung, heart) is expected. Respiratory gating is in line with the need for improved precision required by radiotherapy techniques such as 3D conformal radiotherapy or intensity modulated radiotherapy. Reduction of respiratory motion can be achieved by using either breath-hold techniques or respiration synchronized gating techniques. Breath-hold techniques can be achieved with active techniques, in which airflow of the patient is temporarily blocked by a valve, or passive techniques, in which the patient voluntarily holds his/her breath. Synchronized gating techniques use external devices to predict the phase of the respiration cycle while the patient breaths freely. This work summarizes the different experiences of the centers of the STIC 2003 project. It describes the different techniques, gives an overview of the literature and proposes a practice based on our experience. (authors)

FFAG (Fixed-field alternating gradient) accelerator for accelerator driven subcritical reactor, which aims to change from long-lived radioactive waste to short-lived radioactivity, is introduced. It is ring accelerator. The performance needed is proton as accelerator particle, 10MW (total) beam power, about 1GeV beam energy, >30% power efficiency and continuous beam. The feature of FFAG accelerator is constant magnetic field. PoP (Proof-of-principle)-FFAG accelerator, radial type, was run at first in Japan in 2000. The excursion is about some ten cm. In principle, beam can be injected and extracted at any place of ring. The 'multi-fish' acceleration can accelerate beams to 100% duty by repeating acceleration. 150MeV-FFAG accelerator has been started since 2001. It tried to practical use, for example, treatment of cancer. (S.Y.)

The author report a study which aimed at evaluating the place or radiotherapy associated with surgery and of radiotherapy without surgery when taking into care locally advanced vulva cancers. The study is based on 46 cases. After 24 months, different aspects, such as recurrence and survival, have been assessed. It appears that there is no survival difference without recurrences between both sets. Short communication

Approximately 300 children, from 0 to 18 years old, are diagnosed with cancer in Sweden every year. Of these children, 80-90 of them undergo radiotherapy treatment for their cancer. Although radiotherapy is an encounter with advanced technology, few studies have investigated the child's and the parent's view of the procedure. As part of an ongoing multicenter study aimed to improve patient preparation and the care environment in pediatric radiotherapy, this article reports the findings from interviews with parents at baseline. The aim of the present study was twofold: to describe parents' experience when their child undergoes radiotherapy treatment, and to report parents' suggestions for improvements during radiotherapy for their children. Sixteen mothers and sixteen fathers of children between 2-16 years old with various cancer diagnoses were interviewed. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The findings showed that cancer and treatment turns people's lives upside down, affecting the entire family. Further, the parents experience the child's suffering and must cope with intense feelings. Radiotherapy treatment includes preparation by skilled and empathetic staff. The parents gradually find that they can deal with the process; and lastly, parents have suggestions for improvements during the radiotherapy treatment. An overarching theme emerged: that despair gradually turns to a sense of security, with a sustained focus on and close interaction with the child. In conclusion, an extreme burden was experienced around the start of radiotherapy, though parents gradually coped with the process.

Full Text Available Oral changes following radiotherapy are not uncommon. Oral mucositis, alteration in salivary gland function, radiation caries, and gingival changes have all been reported following radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The gingival changes seen after radiotherapy may be unusual and often cause diagnostic dilemma. Metastasis to the gingiva has also to be ruled out in these cases. A 30-year-old female patient presented with enlargement of the gingiva of 6 months′ duration and lower lip swelling of 7 months′ duration. She was a known case of carcinoma of nasopharynx and had received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Based on the history, the clinical appearance of the gingiva, and the other oral changes we considered both post-radiotherapy gingival enlargement and secondary metastasis to gingiva as possibilities. An incisional biopsy was performed (internal bevel gingivectomy. The histopathological report did not reveal any metastatic changes. Thus, we diagnosed post-radiotherapy gingival enlargement. For the multiple carious teeth, extraction and root canal treatment was carried out as necessary. The patient was referred to the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for management of swelling of the lips, which was diagnosed as lymphedema of the lip. Gingival enlargement is rare post radiotherapy. Such nonplaque-associated gingival enlargement in a patient who has undergone radiotherapy should be subjected to biopsy and histopathological examination to distinguish between secondary metastasis and post-radiation changes.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to analyze the results of a multimodality treatment using preoperative radiotherapy, followed by surgery and intraoperative radiotherapy in patients with primary locally advanced rectal cancer. METHODS: Between 1987 and 2002, 123 patients with initial unresectable an

damage produced by Low-LET radiation used in current radiotherapy (2-3) Considerable efforts have been made in the past twenty years to develop Auger emitter-based radiotherapy However, previous studies lack precise measurement of RBE, which is the fundamental factor defining the relationship between...

Although the developments of particle accelerators are devoted to basic study of matter constituents, since the beginning these machines have been applied with different purposes in many areas also. Today particle accelerators are essential instruments for science and technology. This work presents an overview of the main application for direct particle irradiation with accelerator in material science, biology and medicine. They are used for material synthesis by ion implantation and charged particle irradiation; to make coatings and micromachining; to characterize broad kind of samples by ion beam analysis techniques; as mass spectrometers for atomic isotopes determination. In biomedicine the accelerators are applied for the study of effects by charged particles on cells. In medicine the radiotherapy by electron irradiation is widely used, while hadrontherapy is still under development. Also, they are necessary for short life radioisotopes production required in radiodiagnostic.

Full Text Available Abstract Background The use of radiotherapy in osteosarcoma (OS is controversial due to its radioresistance. OS patients currently treated with radiotherapy generally are inoperable, have painful skeletal metastases, refuse surgery or have undergone an intralesional resection of the primary tumor. After irradiation-induced DNA damage, OS cells sustain a prolonged G2 cell cycle checkpoint arrest allowing DNA repair and evasion of cell death. Inhibition of WEE1 kinase leads to abrogation of the G2 arrest and could sensitize OS cells to irradiation induced cell death. Methods WEE1 expression in OS was investigated by gene-expression data analysis and immunohistochemistry of tumor samples. WEE1 expression in OS cell lines and human osteoblasts was investigated by Western blot. The effect of WEE1 inhibition on the radiosensitivity of OS cells was assessed by cell viability and caspase activation analyses after combination treatment. The presence of DNA damage was visualized using immunofluorescence microscopy. Cell cycle effects were investigated by flow cytometry and WEE1 kinase regulation was analyzed by Western blot. Results WEE1 expression is found in the majority of tested OS tissue samples. Small molecule drug PD0166285 inhibits WEE1 kinase activity. In the presence of WEE1-inhibitor, irradiated cells fail to repair their damaged DNA, and show higher levels of caspase activation. The inhibition of WEE1 effectively abrogates the irradiation-induced G2 arrest in OS cells, forcing the cells into premature, catastrophic mitosis, thus enhancing cell death after irradiation treatment. Conclusion We show that PD0166285, a small molecule WEE1 kinase inhibitor, can abrogate the G2 checkpoint in OS cells, pushing them into mitotic catastrophe and thus sensitizing OS cells to irradiation-induced cell death. This suggests that WEE1 inhibition may be a promising strategy to enhance the radiotherapy effect in patients with OS.

Radiation therapy is a first-line treatment option for localized prostate cancer and radiation-induced normal tissue damage are often the main limiting factor for modern radiotherapy regimens. Conversely, under-dosing of target volumes in an attempt to spare adjacent healthy tissues limits the likelihood of achieving local, long-term control. Thus, the ability to generate personalized data-driven risk profiles for radiotherapy outcomes would provide valuable prognostic information to help guide both clinicians and patients alike. Big data applied to radiation oncology promises to deliver better understanding of outcomes by harvesting and integrating heterogeneous data types, including patient-specific clinical parameters, treatment-related dose–volume metrics, and biological risk factors. When taken together, such variables make up the basis for a multi-dimensional space (the “RadoncSpace”) in which the presented modeling techniques search in order to identify significant predictors. Herein, we review outcome modeling and big data-mining techniques for both tumor control and radiotherapy-induced normal tissue effects. We apply many of the presented modeling approaches onto a cohort of hypofractionated prostate cancer patients taking into account different data types and a large heterogeneous mix of physical and biological parameters. Cross-validation techniques are also reviewed for the refinement of the proposed framework architecture and checking individual model performance. We conclude by considering advanced modeling techniques that borrow concepts from big data analytics, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, before discussing the potential future impact of systems radiobiology approaches. PMID:27379211

The use of infrared lasers to power optical-scale lithographically fabricated particle accelerators is a developing area of research that has garnered increasing interest in recent years. The physics and technology of this approach is reviewed, which is referred to as dielectric laser acceleration (DLA). In the DLA scheme operating at typical laser pulse lengths of 0.1 to 1 ps, the laser damage fluences for robust dielectric materials correspond to peak surface electric fields in the GV /m regime. The corresponding accelerating field enhancement represents a potential reduction in active length of the accelerator between 1 and 2 orders of magnitude. Power sources for DLA-based accelerators (lasers) are less costly than microwave sources (klystrons) for equivalent average power levels due to wider availability and private sector investment. Because of the high laser-to-particle coupling efficiency, required pulse energies are consistent with tabletop microJoule class lasers. Combined with the very high (MHz) repetition rates these lasers can provide, the DLA approach appears promising for a variety of applications, including future high-energy physics colliders, compact light sources, and portable medical scanners and radiative therapy machines.

Purpose. - To analyze the therapeutic results of cutaneous cancers on xeroderma pigmentosum through a series of 15 patients treated by radiotherapy. Patients and methods. - Between 1993 and 2006, 15 patients with xeroderma pigmentosum and having cutaneous cancers were treated in the Radiotherapy Department of university hospital Habib-Bourguiba of Sfax in Tunisia. Seventy-three percent of the cases occurred in male patients and the mean age of appearance of the first tumour was 18.2 years. Tumour histology was squamous cell carcinoma in 74% of the cases. The total number of cutaneous tumours was 84. Ten patients had a surgical resection. Four patients did not respond to chemotherapy. The modality of irradiation was decided according to the size, thickness and localization of the tumour. The dose of radiotherapy was 60 Gy or equivalent with classic irradiation. Results. - The total number of lesions treated with radiotherapy was 64. Forty-three lesions were treated with contact-therapy, ten with brachytherapy and 11 with cobalt-therapy. The following acute complications were observed: cutaneous infection (53.3% of patients), radio-epithelitis (80% of patients) and necroses (33.3% of patients). Evaluation after treatment showed a clinical complete remission in 73% of the cases. Late effects were noted in seven cases: telangiectasia and cutaneous atrophy. A recurrence in the irradiated zone was observed in one case. A nodal metastasis was observed in two cases. Another patient presented lung metastases. After a median follow up of 37.2 months, four patients died, seven are alive with cutaneous cancer and four are alive with complete remission. Conclusion. - Radiotherapy is a possible and effective therapeutic alternative. Dose and methods are not defined for xeroderma pigmentosum. (authors)

Conventional radiotherapy is the treatment of choice for the early stages of theDupuytren contracture. The conventional semi-deep therapy is more favorable than the soft ray technique and the moulage technique. 62 patients have been treated at Erlangen; 33 out of them (46 irradiated hands) with a minimum observation time of 18 months have been evaluated. The pathologic process was stopped in 98% of the cases. 85% of the patients showed an improvement of troubles by regression of tubercules and cords, pains and sensation of pressure. A recurrence was obseved only in one patient at the edge of the irradiated volume.

Carbon ion radiotherapy offers superior dose conformity in the treatment of deep-seated malignant tumours compared with conventional X-ray therapy. In addition, carbon ion beams have a higher relative biological effectiveness compared with protons or X-ray beams. The algorithm of treatment planning and beam delivery system is tailored to the individual parameters of the patient. The present article reviews the available literatures for various disease sites including the head and neck, skull base, lung, liver, prostate, bone and soft tissues and pelvic recurrence of rectal cancer as well as physical and biological properties.

This mini-review describes how to perform PET/CT based radiotherapy dose planning and the advantages and possibilities obtained with the technique for radiation therapy. Our own experience since 2002 is briefly summarized from more than 2,500 patients with various malignant diseases undergoing...... radiotherapy planning with PET/CT prior to the treatment. The PET/CT, including the radiotherapy planning process as well as the radiotherapy process, is outlined in detail. The demanding collaboration between mould technicians, nuclear medicine physicians and technologists, radiologists and radiology...... technologists, radiation oncologists, physicists, and dosimetrists is emphasized. We strongly believe that PET/CT based radiotherapy planning will improve the therapeutic output in terms of target definition and non-target avoidance and will play an important role in future therapeutic interventions in many...

In the treatment of the maxillofacial tumors, radiotherapy plays an important role in the achievement of good local control and to keep the normal shape and function. For the tumors occurring in or adjacent to the orbit, especially the tumors of eyelids, radiotherapy combined with/without surgery also yields better results than surgery alone, but the lens of the eye is a radiosensitive organ. Loss of vision could occur when radiation beam is directed at the eye, so radiotherapy prostheses must be used in the radiotherapy of eyelid tumor. An individual lead shield for the lens of eye was made for each of the 10 eyelid tumor patients and it was carefully placed in the conjunctival sac after anaesthesia with a few drops of oxybuprocaine (Benoxil) to avoid irradiation of the globe. The lead shield was applied to protect the normal surrounding structures. Excellent cosmetic and functional results were achieved during and after radiotherapy. (author)

Plasma-based accelerators have the ability to sustain extremely large accelerating gradients, with possible high-energy physics applications. This dissertation further develops the theory of plasma-based accelerators by addressing three topics: the performance of a hollow plasma channel as an accelerating structure, the generation of ultrashort electron bunches, and the propagation of laser pulses is underdense plasmas.

The main topic of the book are the superconducting dipole and quadrupole magnets needed in high-energy accelerators and storage rings for protons, antiprotons or heavy ions. The basic principles of low-temperature superconductivity are outlined with special emphasis on the effects which are relevant for accelerator magnets. Properties and fabrication methods of practical superconductors are described. Analytical methods for field calculation and multipole expansion are presented for coils without and with iron yoke. The effect of yoke saturation and geometric distortions on field quality is studied. Persistent magnetization currents in the superconductor and eddy currents the copper part of the cable are analyzed in detail and their influence on field quality and magnet performance is investigated. Superconductor stability, quench origins and propagation and magnet protection are addressed. Some important concepts of accelerator physics are introduced which are needed to appreciate the demanding requirements ...

Particle Accelerator Physics is an in-depth and comprehensive introduction to the field of high-energy particle acceleration and beam dynamics. Part I gathers the basic tools, recalling the essentials of electrostatics and electrodynamics as well as of particle dynamics in electromagnetic fields. Part II is an extensive primer in beam dynamics, followed in Part III by the introduction and description of the main beam parameters. Part IV is devoted to the treatment of perturbations in beam dynamics. Part V discusses the details of charged particle accleration. Part VI and Part VII introduce the more advanced topics of coupled beam dynamics and the description of very intense beams. Part VIII is an exhaustive treatment of radiation from accelerated charges and introduces important sources of coherent radiation such as synchrotrons and free-electron lasers. Part IX collects the appendices gathering useful mathematical and physical formulae, parameters and units. Solutions to many end-of-chapter problems are give...

We extend de la Fuente and Romero's defining equation for uniform acceleration in a general curved spacetime from linear acceleration to the full Lorentz covariant uniform acceleration. In a flat spacetime background, we have explicit solutions. We use generalized Fermi-Walker transport to parallel transport the Frenet basis along the trajectory. In flat spacetime, we obtain velocity and acceleration transformations from a uniformly accelerated system to an inertial system. We obtain the time dilation between accelerated clocks. We apply our acceleration transformations to the motion of a charged particle in a constant electromagnetic field and recover the Lorentz-Abraham-Dirac equation.

Investigations of sexual consciousness and sexual dysfunction after radiotherapy for cancer of the cervix uteri were performed on patients of middle and old ages by questionnaires and questioning by doctors, and the following results were obtained. 1. Before radiotherapy, sexual activity was most prominent in their twenties and thirties. However, patients who were in fifties when this study was performed had most active sexual lives during the ages from 35 to 50 years. 2. Frequencies of sexual intercourse decreased markedly just before radiotherapy, and many patients received radiotherapy when sexual activity fell. 3. 32% of the patients have not experienced sexual intercourse after radiotherapy. 4. Decreases in the sex urge, sexuality, vaginal discharge, and frequency of sexual intercourse after radiotherapy were recognized in 77%, 77%, 70%, and 93% respectively. 5. Patients who became unwilling to maintain sexual lives after radiotherapy because of fear about recurrence or aggravation of cancer were 38% by questionaires and 49% by questioning by doctors. 6. Pains on sexual intercourse were found in 69% by questionaires and 49% by questionning by doctors. Most pains occurred at penis insertion and was thought to be due to atrophy and inflammation of vagina and external genitalia in most cases. 7. Both vaginal damage and sexual dysfunction in patients with radiotherapy following surgery for cancer of the cervix uteri, in patients with radiotherapy alone for cancer of the cervix uteri, and in patients with radiotherapy following surgery for cancer of the ovary and corpus uteri were marked, modest and mild, respectively. 8. Vaginal damage score was higher in patients treated more than 5 years before than those less than 2 years ago, but there were no differences in sexual dysfunction score between both groups.

In this issue will be tackled the development of tools (multi modules scanner and images fusion) and the analysis of volumes for cerebral tumors (head and neck). It seemed necessary to update this theme because of the ever more widespread use of conformation radiotherapy and new constraints of volumes definitions brought by radiotherapy with intensity modulation. (N.C.)

An acceleration-sensing apparatus is disclosed which includes a moveable shuttle (i.e. a suspended mass) and a latch for capturing and holding the shuttle when an acceleration event is sensed above a predetermined threshold level. The acceleration-sensing apparatus provides a switch closure upon sensing the acceleration event and remains latched in place thereafter. Examples of the acceleration-sensing apparatus are provided which are responsive to an acceleration component in a single direction (i.e. a single-sided device) or to two oppositely-directed acceleration components (i.e. a dual-sided device). A two-stage acceleration-sensing apparatus is also disclosed which can sense two acceleration events separated in time. The acceleration-sensing apparatus of the present invention has applications, for example, in an automotive airbag deployment system.

In an earlier publication we considered acceleration of plasma rings (Compact Torus). Several possible accelerator configurations were suggested and the possibility of focusing the accelerated rings was discussed. In this paper we consider one scheme, acceleration of a ring between coaxial electrodes by a B/sub theta/ field as in a coaxial rail-gun. If the electrodes are conical, a ring accelerated towards the apex of the cone undergoes self-similar compression (focusing) during acceleration. Because the allowable acceleration force, F/sub a/ = kappaU/sub m//R where (kappa < 1), increases as R/sup -2/, the accelerating distance for conical electrodes is considerably shortened over that required for coaxial electrodes. In either case, however, since the accelerating flux can expand as the ring moves, most of the accelerating field energy can be converted into kinetic energy of the ring leading to high efficiency.

This work demonstrates the complexity and the necessary cares for the realization of measurements of neutron fields in rooms for radiotherapy treatment containing clinical accelerators. The acquaintance of the technical characteristics of the monitors and the periodic calibration are actions and fundamental procedures to guarantee traceability and the reliability of measurements

In this winter issue, we are very pleased to announce the approval of EuCARD-2 by the European Commission. We look at the conclusions of EUROnu in proposing future neutrino facilities at CERN, a new milestone reached by CLIC and progress on the SPARC upgrade using C-band technology. We also report on recent events: second Joint HiLumi LHC-LARP Annual Meeting and workshop on Superconducting technologies for the Next Generation of Accelerators aiming at closer collaboration with industry. The launch of the Accelerators for Society brochure is also highlighted.

After introducing the subject of shielding high energy accelerators, point source, line-of-sight models, and in particular the Moyer model. are discussed. Their use in the shielding of proton and electron accelerators is demonstrated and their limitations noted. especially in relation to shielding in the forward direction provided by large, flat walls. The limitations of reducing problems to those using it cylindrical geometry description are stressed. Finally the use of different estimators for predicting dose is discussed. It is suggested that dose calculated from track-length estimators will generally give the most satisfactory estimate. (9 refs).

In order to investigate the effects of neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy on colonic anastomotic healing, an experimental study resembling the clinical use of neo-adjuvant concomitant 5-FU+irradiation treatment of colorectal cancer was conducted. Seventy-one male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: a control group (I) underwent left colon resection and primary anastomosis; a sham-treated group (II); and a study group (III) which received fractionated irradiation to the whole pelvis to a total dose of 22 Gy, 5.5 Gy per fraction, in four consecutive days with linear accelerator and concomitant intra-peritoneal 5-FU for five consecutive days. The last fraction of irradiation and the last injection were given four and three days before colonic resection and anastomosis, respectively. Within each group one-half of the animals were anesthetized on the third postoperative day and one-half on the seventh postoperative day. Abdominal wound healing, intraperitoneal adhesions, anastomotic complications, and anastomotic bursting pressure measurements were recorded. Following these measurements the anastomotic segment was resected for hydroxyproline content, myeloperoxidase activity, and histopathological evaluation. At three and seven days, the mean bursting pressures of the anastomoses were 36.5 mm Hg and 208 mm Hg in group I, 34.5 and 228 in group II, and 27 and 167 in group III, respectively . The burst occurred at the anastomosis in all animals tested on the third postoperative day, and 10% of group I, none in group II, and 40% of group III on the seventh postoperative day. (K.H.)

Full Text Available Background : After orchiectomy in stage I seminoma the standard is adjuvant radiation therapy. We analyzed the patients retrospectively to evaluate the contributions of the treatment volume and dosage to treatment outcomes. Materials and Methods : Between January 1999 and December 2005, 91 stage I seminoma patients with a median age 36 (range;22-62 applied to our center, who were treated using anterior-posterior parallel opposed fields with linear accelerator or Co60 after orchiectomy. Twenty-five (27.5% patients received irradiation to the paraaortic and ipsilateral pelvic nodes, and 66 (62.5% patients only received to paraaortic nodes. Results : With a follow up time of median 57 months (range; 27-104, paraaortic nodes treated group had 4 relapses (6% - 3 of them pelvic, one of them both pelvic and paraaortic. Both paraaortic and ipsilateral nodes irradiated patients had only one relapse (4% (P = 0.726. While the 5 year overall survival (OS is 98.8%, it is 100% in the dog-leg group and 98.4% in the paraaortic group (P = 0.548. Univariate analyses of OS and Disease Free Survival (DFS showed that there is no statistically significant difference related to factors as age, histologic subgroup, tumor size, rete testis involvement, radiotherapy (RT fields, dose ranges and the therapy device. Conclusion : Adjuvant RT approach is the preferred for non-compliant low risk patients as well as intermediate and high risk patient in stage I seminoma. 20 Gy/ 10 fractions/ 2 weeks RT is the adequate treatment.

A system for displaying an accurate model of isodoses to be used in radiotherapy so that appropriate planning can be performed prior to actual treatment on a patient. The nature of the simulation of the radiotherapy planning for BNCT and Fast Neutron Therapy, etc., requires that the doses be computed in the entire volume. The "entire volume" includes the patient and beam geometries as well as the air spaces in between. Isodoses derived from the computed doses will therefore extend into the air regions between the patient and beam geometries and thus depict the unrealistic possibility that radiation deposition occurs in regions containing no physical media. This problem is solved by computing the doses for the entire geometry and then masking the physical and air regions along with the isodose contours superimposed over the patient image at the corresponding plane. The user is thus able to mask out (remove) the contour lines from the unwanted areas of the image by selecting the appropriate contour masking region from the raster image.

In vivo dosimetry (IVD) is in use in external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) to detect major errors, to assess clinically relevant differences between planned and delivered dose, to record dose received by individual patients, and to fulfill legal requirements. After discussing briefly the main characteristics of the most commonly applied IVD systems, the clinical experience of IVD during EBRT will be summarized. Advancement of the traditional aspects of in vivo dosimetry as well as the development of currently available and newly emerging noninterventional technologies are required for large-scale implementation of IVD in EBRT. These new technologies include the development of electronic portal imaging devices for 2D and 3D patient dosimetry during advanced treatment techniques, such as IMRT and VMAT, and the use of IVD in proton and ion radiotherapy by measuring the decay of radiation-induced radionuclides. In the final analysis, we will show in this Vision 20/20 paper that in addition to regulatory compliance and reimbursement issues, the rationale for in vivo measurements is to provide an accurate and independent verification of the overall treatment procedure. It will enable the identification of potential errors in dose calculation, data transfer, dose delivery, patient setup, and changes in patient anatomy. It is the authors' opinion that all treatments with curative intent should be verified through in vivo dose measurements in combination with pretreatment checks.

The term "technical record in radiotherapy" is used to describe collected information relative to treatment using radiation. The subject of this session of the chapter of Radiotherapy of the Société Française de Radiologie was the intrinsic functions of this record and its extrinsic limitations. The extreme diversity of the current state of the record is a known fact. A majority of participants express the desire for uniformisation of the collection of data or even, as a second stage, to have a common record. A library of technical records was set up under the responsibility of the Centre Georges-François Leclerc at Dijon (J.C. Horiot). One broad conclusion was seen to emerge: the creation of a minimum common record including essential information to which could be added the more specific data of each radiotherapist and at each time of use. Prior agreement will be necessary with regard to the standardisation of apparatus and the expression of the dose. This session was of necessity merely a reflection of future needs and it is to be hoped that the good will which was obvious during the course of the discussion may produce concrete results in the months to come.

We reviewed the literature on the use of margins in radiotherapy of patients with prostate cancer, focusing on different options for image guidance (IG) and technical issues. The search in PubMed database was limited to include studies that involved external beam radiotherapy of the intact prostate. Post-prostatectomy studies, brachytherapy and particle therapy were excluded. Each article was characterized according to the IG strategy used: positioning on external marks using room lasers, bone anatomy and soft tissue match, usage of fiducial markers, electromagnetic tracking and adapted delivery. A lack of uniformity in margin selection among institutions was evident from the review. In general, introduction of pre- and in-treatment IG was associated with smaller planning target volume (PTV) margins, but there was a lack of definitive experimental/clinical studies providing robust information on selection of exact PTV values. In addition, there is a lack of comparative research regarding the cost-benefit ratio of the different strategies: insertion of fiducial markers or electromagnetic transponders facilitates prostate gland localization but at a price of invasive procedure; frequent pre-treatment imaging increases patient in-room time, dose and labour; online plan adaptation should improve radiation delivery accuracy but requires fast and precise computation. Finally, optimal protocols for quality assurance procedures need to be established.

Consumer-grade distance sensors, such as the Microsoft Kinect devices (v1 and v2), have been investigated for use as marker-free motion monitoring systems for radiotherapy. The radiotherapy delivery environment is challenging for such sen-sors because of the proximity to electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the pulse forming network which fires the magnetron and electron gun of a linear accelerator (linac) during radiation delivery, as well as the requirement to operate them from the control area. This work investigated whether using Kinect v2 sensors as motion monitors was feasible during radiation delivery. Three sensors were used each with a 12 m USB 3.0 active cable which replaced the supplied 3 m USB 3.0 cable. Distance output data from the Kinect v2 sensors was recorded under four condi-tions of linac operation: (i) powered up only, (ii) pulse forming network operating with no radiation, (iii) pulse repetition frequency varied between 6 Hz and 400 Hz, (iv) dose rate varied between 50 and 1450 monitor units (MU) per minute. A solid water block was used as an object and imaged when static, moved in a set of steps from 0.6 m to 2.0 m from the sensor and moving dynamically in two sinusoidal-like trajectories. Few additional image artifacts were observed and there was no impact on the tracking of the motion patterns (root mean squared accuracy of 1.4 and 1.1mm, respectively). The sensors' distance accuracy varied by 2.0 to 3.8 mm (1.2 to 1.4 mm post distance calibration) across the range measured; the precision was 1 mm. There was minimal effect from the EMI on the distance calibration data: 0 mm or 1 mm reported distance change (2 mm maximum change at one position). Kinect v2 sensors operated with 12 m USB 3.0 active cables appear robust to the radiotherapy treatment environment.

Simulation of the transport of heavy ions in matter is a field of nuclear science that has recently received attention in view of its importance for some relevant applications. Accelerated heavy ions can, for example, be used to treat cancers (heavy-ion radiotherapy) and show some superior qualities with respect to more conventional treatment systems, like photons (x-rays) or protons. Furthermore, long-term manned space missions (like a possible future mission to Mars) pose the challenge to protect astronauts and equipment on board against the harmful space radiation environment, where heavy ions can be responsible for a significant share of the exposure risk. The high accuracy expected from a transport algorithm (especially in the case of radiotherapy) and the large amount of semi-empirical knowledge necessary to even state the transport problem properly rule out any analytical approach; the alternative is to resort to numerical simulations in order to build treatment-planning systems for cancer or to aid space engineers in shielding design. This thesis is focused on the description of HIBRAC, a one-dimensional deterministic code optimised for radiotherapy, and PHITS (Particle and Heavy- Ion Transport System), a general-purpose three-dimensional Monte-Carlo code. The structure of both codes is outlined and some relevant results are presented. In the case of PHITS, we also report the first results of an ongoing comprehensive benchmarking program for the main components of the code; we present the comparison of partial charge-changing cross sections for a 400 MeV/n {sup 40}Ar beam impinging on carbon, polyethylene, aluminium, copper, tin and lead targets.

Purpose: The stromal-epithelial-cell interactions that are responsible for directing normal breast-tissue development and maintenance play a central role in the progression of breast cancer. In the present study, we developed three-dimensional (3-D) cell co-cultures used to study cancerous mammary cell responses to fractionated radiotherapy. In particular, we focused on the role of the reactive stroma in determining the therapeutic ratio for postsurgical treatment. Methods: Cancerous human mammary epithelial cells were cultured in a 3-D collagen matrix with human fibroblasts stimulated by various concentrations of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1). These culture samples were designed to model the post-lumpectomy mammary stroma in the presence of residual cancer cells. We tracked over time the changes in medium stiffness, fibroblast-cell activation (conversion to cancer activated fibroblasts (CAF)), and proliferation of both cell types under a variety of fractionated radiotherapy protocols. Samples were exposed to 6 MV X-rays from a linear accelerator in daily fraction sizes of 90, 180 and 360 cGy over five days in a manner consistent with irradiation exposure during radiotherapy. Results: We found in fractionation studies with fibroblasts and CAF that higher doses per fraction may be more effective early on in deactivating cancer-harboring cellular environments. Higher-dose fraction schemes inhibit contractility in CAF and prevent differentiation of fibroblasts, thereby metabolically uncoupling tumor cells from their surrounding stroma. Yet, over a longer time period, the higher dose fractions may slow wound healing and increase ECM stiffening that could stimulate proliferation of surviving cancer cells. Conclusion: The findings suggest that dose escalation to the region with residual disease can deactivate the reactive stroma, thus minimizing the cancer promoting features of the cellular environment. Large-fraction irradiation may be used to sterilize

No matter how much the importance is emphasized, the exact assessment of the absorbed doses administered to the patients to treat the various diseases such as lately soaring malignant tumors with the radiotherapy practices is the most important factor. In reality, several over-exposed patients from the radiotherapy practice become very serious social issues. Especially, the development of a technology to exactly assess the high doses and high energies (In general, dose administered to the patients with the radiotherapy practices are very huge doses, and they are about three times higher than the lethal doses) generated by the radiation generators and irradiation equipment is a competing issue to be promptly conducted. Over fifty medical centers in Korea operate the radiation generators and irradiation equipment for the radiotherapy practices. However, neither the legal and regulatory systems to implement a quality assurance program are sufficiently stipulated nor qualified personnel who could run a program to maintain the quality assurance and control of those generators and equipment for the radiotherapy practices in the medical facilities are sufficiently employed. To overcome the above deficiencies, a quality assurance program such as those developed in the technically advanced countries should be developed to exactly assess the doses administered to patients with the radiotherapy practices and develop the necessary procedures to maintain the continuing performance of the machine or equipment for the radiotherapy. The QA program and procedures should induce the fluent calibration of the machine or equipment with quality, and definitely establish the safety of patients in the radiotherapy practices. In this study, a methodology for the verification and evaluation of the radiotherapy doses is developed, and several accurate measurements, evaluations of the doses delivered to patients and verification of the performance of the therapy machine and equipment are

One of the SPS acceleration cavities (200 MHz, travelling wave structure). On the ceiling one sees the coaxial transmission line which feeds the power from the amplifier, located in a surface building above, to the upstream end of the cavity. See 7603195 for more details, 7411032 for the travelling wave structure, and also 8104138, 8302397.

Accelerator technology today is a greater than US$5 billion per annum business. Development of higher-performance technology with improved reliability that delivers reduced system size and life cycle cost is expected to significantly increase the total accelerator technology market and open up new application sales. Potential future directions are identified and pitfalls in new market penetration are considered. Both of the present big market segments, medical radiation therapy units and semiconductor ion implanters, are approaching the "maturity" phase of their product cycles, where incremental development rather than paradigm shifts is the norm, but they should continue to dominate commercial sales for some time. It is anticipated that large discovery-science accelerators will continue to provide a specialty market beset by the unpredictable cycles resulting from the scale of the projects themselves, coupled with external political and economic drivers. Although fraught with differing market entry difficulties, the security and environmental markets, together with new, as yet unrealized, industrial material processing applications, are expected to provide the bulk of future commercial accelerator technology growth.

The LHC is the last ring (dark blue line) in a complex chain of particle accelerators. The smaller machines are used in a chain to help boost the particles to their final energies and provide beams to a whole set of smaller experiments, which also aim to uncover the mysteries of the Universe.

Results from the atmospheric neutrino measurements are presented. Evidence for the {nu}{sub {tau}} appearance in the atmospheric neutrino events was shown by statistical methods. The long baseline oscillation experiment using man-made neutrinos has confirmed the atmospheric neutrino oscillation. The future accelerator experiments are briefly discussed.

The integration of acceleration over time before reaching the uniformvelocity turns out to be the source of all the special relativity effects. Itexplains physical phenomena like clocks comparisons. The equations forspace-time, mass and energy are presented. This phenomenon complements theexplanation for the twins paradox. A Universal reference frame is obtained.

Introduction to accelerator physics This course will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 18 to 30 September 2016. It is now open for registration, and further information can be found here: http://cas.web.cern.ch/cas/Turkey-2016/Turkey-advert.html

Introduction to accelerator physics This course will take place in Budapest, Hungary, from 2 to 14 October 2016. It is now open for registration and further information can be found at: http://cas.web.cern.ch/cas/Hungary2016/Hungary-advert.html and http://indico.cern.ch/event/532397/.

The LHC is the last ring (dark grey line) in a complex chain of particle accelerators. The smaller machines are used in a chain to help boost the particles to their final energies and provide beams to a whole set of smaller experiments, which also aim to uncover the mysteries of the Universe.

The LHC is the last ring (dark grey line) in a complex chain of particle accelerators. The smaller machines are used in a chain to help boost the particles to their final energies and provide beams to a whole set of smaller experiments, which also aim to uncover the mysteries of the Universe.

One of the SPS accelerating cavities (200 MHz, travelling wave structure). The power that is fed into the upstream end of the cavity is extracted at the downstream end and sent into a dump load. See 7603195 for more details, 7411032 for the travelling wave structure, and also 8011289, 8302397.

Described in the previous article [1] method of the power extraction from the modulated electron beam has been applied to the compact standing wave electron linear accelerator feeding system, which doesnt require any connection waveguides between the power source and the accelerator itself [2]. Generating and accelerating bunches meet in the hybrid accelerating cell operating at TM020 mode, thus the accelerating module is placed on the axis of the generating module, which consists from the pulsed high voltage electron sources and electrons dumps. This combination makes the accelerator very compact in size which is very valuable for the modern applications such as portable inspection sources. Simulations and geometry cold tests are presented.

Purpose: The hippocampus sparing during the cranial irradiation has become interesting because it may mitigate radiation-induced neurocognitive toxicity. Herein we report our preliminary study for sparing the hippocampus with and without tilling condition for patient with brain metastases. Methods: Ten patients previously treated with whole brain were reviewed. Five patients tilted the head to around 30 degrees and others were treated without tilting. Treatment plans of linear accelerator (Linac)-based volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) were generated for prescription dose of 30 Gy in 15 fractions. Hippocampal avoidance regions were created with 5-mm volumetric expansion around the hippocampus. Whole brain, hippocampus and hippocampal avoidance volume were 1372cm3, 6cm3 and 30cm3 and hippocampal avoidance volume was 2.2% of the whole brain planned target volume in average. Organs at risk (OARs) are hippocampus, eyes, lens, and cochleae. Coverage index (CVI), conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI) and mean dose to OARs were used to compare dose characteristic of tilted and non-tilted cases. Results: In IMRT, when CI, CVI and HI of whole brain were 0.88, 0.09 and 0.98 in both tilted and non-tilted cases, absorbed dose of hippocampal avoidance volume in tilted cases were 10% lower than non-tilted cases. Doses in other OARs such as eyes, lens, and cochleae were also decreased about 20% when tilting the head. When CI, HI and CVI in VMAT were 0.9, 0.08 and 0.99, the dose-decreased ratio of OARs in both with and without tilting cases were almost the same with IMRT. But absolute dose of hippocampal avoidance volume in VMAT was 30% lower than IMRT. Conclusion: This study confirms that dose to hippocampus decreases if patients tilt the head. When treating the whole brain with head tilted, patients can acquire the same successful treatment Result and also preserve their valuable memory.

The growing proportion of elderly people represents an increasing economic burden, not least because of age-associated diseases that pose a significant cost to the health service. Finding possible interventions to age-associated disorders therefore have wide ranging implications. A number of genetically defined accelerated aging diseases have been characterized that can aid in our understanding of aging. Interestingly, all these diseases are associated with defects in the maintenance of our genome. A subset of these disorders, Cockayne syndrome, Xeroderma pigmentosum group A and ataxia-telangiectasia, show neurological involvement reminiscent of what is seen in primary human mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondria are the power plants of the cells converting energy stored in oxygen, sugar, fat, and protein into ATP, the energetic currency of our body. Emerging evidence has linked this organelle to aging and finding mitochondrial dysfunction in accelerated aging disorders thereby strengthens the mitochondrial theory of aging. This theory states that an accumulation of damage to the mitochondria may underlie the process of aging. Indeed, it appears that some accelerated aging disorders that show neurodegeneration also have mitochondrial dysfunction. The mitochondrial alterations may be secondary to defects in nuclear DNA repair. Indeed, nuclear DNA damage may lead to increased energy consumption, alterations in mitochondrial ATP production and defects in mitochondrial recycling, a term called mitophagy. These changes may be caused by activation of poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase 1 (PARP1), an enzyme that responds to DNA damage. Upon activation PARP1 utilizes key metabolites that attenuate pathways that are normally protective for the cell. Notably, pharmacological inhibition of PARP1 or reconstitution of the metabolites rescues the changes caused by PARP1 hyperactivation and in many cases reverse the phenotypes associated with accelerated aging. This implies that modulation

The current practice of radiotherapy examines target coverage solely from digitally reconstructed beam's eye view (BEV) in a way that is indirectly accessible and that is not in real time. We aimed to visualize treatment targets in real time from each BEV. The image data of phantom or patients from ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) scans were captured to perform image registration. We integrated US, CT, US/CT image registration, robotic manipulation of US, a radiation treatment planning system, and a linear accelerator to constitute an innovative target visualization system. The performance of this algorithm segmented the target organ in CT images, transformed and reconstructed US images to match each orientation, and generated image registration in real time mode with acceptable accuracy. This image transformation allowed physicians to visualize the CT image-reconstructed target via a US probe outside the BEV that was non-coplanar to the beam's plane. It allowed the physicians to remotely control the US probe that was equipped on a robotic arm to dynamically trace and real time monitor the coverage of the target within the BEV during a simulated beam-on situation. This target visualization system may provide a direct remotely accessible and real time way to visualize, verify, and ensure tumor targeting during radiotherapy.

Dosimetric properties of radiation beams used in radiotherapy are directly related to the energy spectrum produced by the treatment unit. Therefore, the development of methodologies to evaluate in a simple and accurate way the spectra of clinical beams can help establishing the quality control of the treatment. The purpose of this study is to present a practical and low cost methodology for determining primary spectra of radiotherapy photon beams from transmission measurements in attenuators of aluminum and using the method of the inverse Laplace transform. Monte Carlo simulation with PENELOPE code was used in order to evaluate and validate the reconstructed spectra by the calculation of dosimetric parameters that characterize the beam. Percentage depth dose values simulated with a 6 MV reconstructed spectrum shows maximum difference of 4.4% when compared to values measured at the corresponding clinical beam. For a 10 MV beam that difference was around 4.2%. Results obtained in this study confirm the adequacy of the proposed methodology for assessing primary photon beams produced by clinical accelerators.

To evaluate the results of conventional radiotherapy for pituitary adenomas assessed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Endpoints include tumor control, normalization of hormone levels in functioning adenomas, and hypopituitarism after radiotherapy as an adverse effect. Forty-two patients were treated with radiotherapy from 1982 to 1995 at Niigata University Hospital. Forty patients were irradiated after surgery because of residual adenomas in 33 patients and tumor regrowth in 7 patients. One patient was treated with radiotherapy alone, and the remaining 1 patient was treated with preoperative radiotherapy. Tumor size and extension were evaluated using CT or MRI, and all tumors were macroadenomas. They consisted of 18 non-functioning and 24 functioning adenomas (growth hormone (GH)-secreting: 11, prolactinomas: 7, concomitant GH and prolactin (PRL)-secreting: 5, gonadotropin-secreting: 1). Treatment was given in 200 cGy daily fraction size and a total dose of 50 Gy was given to most patients. Sixteen patients with GH- and/or PRL-secreting adenomas received bromocriptine. Tumor progression was determined by increase in tumor size as shown by CT or MRI. Hypopituitarism after radiotherapy was evaluated using the functions of corticotropin (ACTH), thyrotropin (TSH), and gonadotropin. Median follow-up time from the end of radiotherapy was 103 months. Tumor progression occurred in 2 out of 42 patients and 10-year progression-free rate for all patients was 93.7%. Normalization of GH levels was obtained in 12 of 16 GH-secreting adenomas with a mean time of 27 months after radiotherapy, and 9 of 12 PRL-secreting adenomas achieved normalization of PRL levels with a mean time of 34 months. One gonadotropin-secreting adenoma achieved normalization of gonadotropin level at 21 months after radiotherapy. The incidence of hypopituitarism after radiotherapy increased with time, and cumulative risk of deficiencies of ACTH, TSH, and gonadotropin at 10

A project has been set up to study the effect on a radiotherapy patient of the neutrons produced around the LINAC accelerator head by photonuclear reactions induced by photons above {approx}8 MeV. These neutrons may reach directly the patient, or they may interact with the surrounding materials until they become thermalised, scattering all over the treatment room and affecting the patient as well, contributing to peripheral dose. Spectrometry was performed with a calibrated and validated set of Bonner spheres at a point located at 50 cm from the isocenter, as well as at the place where a digital device for measuring neutrons, based on the upset of SRAM memories induced by thermal neutrons, is located inside the treatment room. Exposures have taken place in six LINAC accelerators with different energies (from 15 to 23 MV) with the aim of relating the spectrometer measurements with the readings of the digital device under various exposure and room geometry conditions. The final purpose of the project is to be able to relate, under any given treatment condition and room geometry, the readings of this digital device to patient neutron effective dose and peripheral dose in organs of interest. This would allow inferring the probability of developing second malignancies as a consequence of the treatment. Results indicate that unit neutron fluence spectra at 50 cm from the isocenter do not depend on accelerator characteristics, while spectra at the place of the digital device are strongly influenced by the treatment room geometry.

This book is an introductory course to accelerator physics at the level of graduate students. It has been written for a large audience which includes users of accelerator facilities, accelerator physicists and engineers, and undergraduates aiming to learn the basic principles of construction, operation and applications of accelerators.The new concepts of dynamical systems developed in the last twenty years give the theoretical setting to analyse the stability of particle beams in accelerator. In this book a common language to both accelerator physics and dynamical systems is integrated and dev

Microsphere-based radioembolization represents a new generation of therapeutics in interventional oncology. The intrahepatic application of radioactive microspheres via the hepatic artery allows locoregional therapy of diffuse or multifocal liver tumors, for which to date systemic therapy was the only remaining option. The current standard for this selective internal radiotherapy or radioembolization is yttrium-90 glass or resin microspheres. This review discusses the indications, the technique, and the therapeutic results of microsphere-based radioembolization. (orig.)

Late rectal morbidity has been observed in 2 % - 25 % of patients treated with radiotherapy using curative doses for prostate, cervix and rectal cancers. The major encountered clinical pictures are rectal proctitis, rectal/anal strictures, rectal bleeding, ulcers and fistula. Some may alter the patient`s lifestyle while other may induce death. Recommendations concerning the clinical practice are described. The treatment of these late rectal effects include nutritional recommendations, laser, formalin application, and surgery. (author)

This thesis describes the results from measurements of the out-of-field dose in radiotherapy. The dose outside the treatment volume has been determined in a water phantom and an anthropomorphic phantom. Measurements were performed with linac photons, passively delivered protons, scanned protons, passively delivered carbon ions as well as scanned carbon ions. It was found that the use of charged particles for radiotherapy reduces the out-of-field dose by up to three orders of magnitude compared to conventional radiotherapy with photons.

The goal of conformal radiotherapy is to establish radiation dose distributions that conform tightly to the target volume in view of limiting radiation to normal tissues. Conformal radiotherapy significantly improves both local control and palliation and thus contributes to increase survival and to improve the quality of life. The subjects covered by the symposium include : (1) conformal radiotherapy and multi-leaf collimation; (2) three dimensional imaging; (3) treatment simulation, planning and optimization; (4) quality assurance; and (5) dosimetry. The book of proceedings contains the abstracts of the invited lectures, papers and poster presentations as well as the full papers of these contributions.

The results of primary radiotherapy in anal carcinoma are reported in a retrospective study. Fourteen patients have been treated by primary radiotherapy between 1970 and 1982. The three-year survival rate is 11/14 (corrected 11/12). Among eleven patients followed up, ten have a normal anal function. The importance of radio-oncology as a therapy of choice in conservative, function-preserving treatment of the anal carcinoma is discussed regarding the retrospective results as well as possible combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

The results of primary radiotherapy in anal carcinoma are reported in a retrospective study. Fourteen patients have been treated by primary radiotherapy between 1970 and 1982. The three-year survival rate is 11/14 (corrected: 11/12). Among eleven patients followed up, ten have a normal anal function. The importance of radio-oncology as a therapy of choice in conservative, function-preserving treatment of the anal carcinoma is discussed regarding the retrospective results as well as possible combinations of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Full Text Available Acquired lymphangiectasia (AL is a significant and rare complication of surgery and radiotherapy. We report lymphangiectasia in a 40-year-old woman who had undergone radical mastectomy and radiotherapy. After 4 years of combined therapy, she developed multiple vesicles and bullae. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of lymphangiectasia. The case is unique as it is not associated with lymphedema, which is a usual accompaniment of lymphangiectasia following surgery and radiotherapy. AL is usually asymptomatic, but trauma may cause recurrent cellulitis. Treatment modalities include electrodessication, surgical excision, sclerotherapy and carbon dioxide laser ablation.

This work aims to compare the dose-response of the Fricke xylenol gel (FXG) dosimeter developed at IPEN using 270 Bloom gelatin from porcine skin made in Brazil evaluated using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique with the dosimetric response evaluated using the optical absorption (OA) spectrophotometry technique, in order to verify the possibility of quality assurance (QA) and reproducibility of FXG dosimeter to be carried out routinely using the OA technique for three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) application using a 6 MV photons linear accelerator. The response in function of the absorbed dose of FXG dosimeter developed at IPEN presents linear behavior in clinical interest dose range when irradiated with Co-60 gamma radiation and 6 MV photons and evaluated using the MRI and OA techniques. The results indicate that the optical technique can be used for QA of FXG dosemeter when used in the possible application in QA of 3DCRT. (author)

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization composed by 138 Member States within the United Nations. It has a mandate to seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world. Within the IAEA structure, the Division of Human Health contributes to the enhancement of the capabilities in Member States to address needs related to prevention, diagnosis and treatment of health problems through the development and application of nuclear and radiation techniques within a framework of quality assurance. In view of the increasing cancer incidence rates in developing countries the activities in improving management of cancer have become increasingly important. This review will outline the IAEA's role in cancer management focusing on activities related to improving radiotherapy worldwide.

The peripheral dose distribution is a growing concern for the improvement of new external radiation modalities. Secondary particles, especially photo-neutrons produced by the accelerator, irradiate the patient more than tens of centimeters away from the tumor volume. However the out-of-field dose is still not estimated accurately by the treatment planning softwares. This study demonstrates the possibility of using a specially designed CMOS sensor for fast and thermal neutron monitoring in radiotherapy. The 14 microns-thick sensitive layer and the integrated electronic chain of the CMOS are particularly suitable for real-time measurements in γ/n mixed fields. An experimental field size dependency of the fast neutron production rate, supported by Monte Carlo simulations and CR-39 data, has been observed. This dependency points out the potential benefits of a real-time monitoring of fast and thermal neutron during beam intensity modulated radiation therapies.

in both FB and DIBH were evaluated. In adaptive radiotherapy (ART) the treatment plan is adapted to geometrical changes of the patient over the course of treatment. However, defining anatomical structures for treatment planning is a time consuming process prone to large uncertainties. In order to save...... and the setup images acquired at the accelerator, and the extra CTs acquired over the course of treatment. The studied algorithm was found not to be adequate enough to correct for image artifacts and large anatomical deformations present in the images. Furthermore, no difference between DIBH and FB was observed...... relevant geometries. The lungs of the phantom were constructed in low-density balsa wood, the body in Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and the bone in high-density delrin. Study IV investigated the performance of AAA, using a plastic scintillator detector system and the well-defined heterogeneous phantom...

As one in a series of articles on Canadian contributions to mass spectrometry, this review begins with an outline of the history of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS), noting roles played by researchers at three Canadian AMS laboratories. After a description of the unique features of AMS, three examples, (14)C, (10)Be, and (129)I are given to illustrate the methods. The capabilities of mass spectrometry have been extended by the addition of atomic isobar selection, molecular isobar attenuation, further ion acceleration, followed by ion detection and ion identification at essentially zero dark current or ion flux. This has been accomplished by exploiting the techniques and accelerators of atomic and nuclear physics. In 1939, the first principles of AMS were established using a cyclotron. In 1977 the selection of isobars in the ion source was established when it was shown that the (14)N(-) ion was very unstable, or extremely difficult to create, making a tandem electrostatic accelerator highly suitable for assisting the mass spectrometric measurement of the rare long-lived radioactive isotope (14)C in the environment. This observation, together with the large attenuation of the molecular isobars (13)CH(-) and (12)CH 2(-) during tandem acceleration and the observed very low background contamination from the ion source, was found to facilitate the mass spectrometry of (14)C to at least a level of (14)C/C ~ 6 × 10(-16), the equivalent of a radiocarbon age of 60,000 years. Tandem Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, or AMS, has now made possible the accurate radiocarbon dating of milligram-sized carbon samples by ion counting as well as dating and tracing with many other long-lived radioactive isotopes such as (10)Be, (26)Al, (36)Cl, and (129)I. The difficulty of obtaining large anion currents with low electron affinities and the difficulties of isobar separation, especially for the heavier mass ions, has prompted the use of molecular anions and the search for alternative

After radical prostatectomy, the risk of biological recurrence at 5 years varies from 10 to 40 % and this natural evolution of the disease has led radiation therapy being proposed as a supplement to surgery. When the recurrence risk is essentially local, supplementary radiotherapy is justified in the aim of improving biological recurrence-free survival, local control, metastasis-free survival and specific and global survival, while respecting patient quality of life. Three recent studies, EORTC 22911, ARO 9602 and SWOG 8794 found a similar advantage for biological recurrence-free survival without higher major additional toxicity. However, only the SWOG 8794 study found a significant improvement for metastasis-free survival and global survival. In an adjuvant setting, the optimal moment to propose this postoperative radiotherapy remains uncertain: should it be proposed systematically to all pT3 R1 patients, running the risk of pointlessly treating patients who will never recur, or should it only be proposed at recurrence? The GETUG AFU 17 trial will provide answers to the question of the optimal moment for postoperative radiotherapy for pT3-4 R1 pN0 Nx patients with the objective of comparing an immediate treatment to a differed early treatment initiated at biological recurrence. (authors)

A microparticle (dust) ion source has been installed at the high voltage terminal of the 3.75 MV single ended Van de Graaff electrostatic accelerator and a beam line for microparticle experiments has been build at High Fluence Irradiation Facility (HIT) of Research Center for Nuclear Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo. Microparticle acceleration has been successful in obtaining expected velocities of 1-20 km/s or more for micron or submicron sized particles. Development of in situ dust detectors and analyzers on board satellites and spacecraft in the expected mass and velocity range of micrometeoroids and investigation of hypervelocity impact phenomena by using time of flight mass spectrometry, impact flash or luminescence measurement and scanning electron or laser microscope observation for metals, ceramics, polymers and semiconductors bombarded by micron-sized particles were started three years ago. (author)

This book by Helmut Wiedemann is a well-established, classic text, providing an in-depth and comprehensive introduction to the field of high-energy particle acceleration and beam dynamics. The present 4th edition has been significantly revised, updated and expanded. The newly conceived Part I is an elementary introduction to the subject matter for undergraduate students. Part II gathers the basic tools in preparation of a more advanced treatment, summarizing the essentials of electrostatics and electrodynamics as well as of particle dynamics in electromagnetic fields. Part III is an extensive primer in beam dynamics, followed, in Part IV, by an introduction and description of the main beam parameters and including a new chapter on beam emittance and lattice design. Part V is devoted to the treatment of perturbations in beam dynamics. Part VI then discusses the details of charged particle acceleration. Parts VII and VIII introduce the more advanced topics of coupled beam dynamics and describe very intense bea...

The theory of diffusive shock acceleration is extended to the case of superdiffusive transport, i.e., when the mean square deviation grows proportionally to t{sup {alpha}}, with {alpha} > 1. Superdiffusion can be described by a statistical process called Levy random walk, in which the propagator is not a Gaussian but it exhibits power-law tails. By using the propagator appropriate for Levy random walk, it is found that the indices of energy spectra of particles are harder than those obtained where a normal diffusion is envisaged, with the spectral index decreasing with the increase of {alpha}. A new scaling for the acceleration time is also found, allowing substantially shorter times than in the case of normal diffusion. Within this framework we can explain a number of observations of flat spectra in various astrophysical and heliospheric contexts, for instance, for the Crab Nebula and the termination shock of the solar wind.

Graphic Processing Units (GPUs) are getting increasingly important as target architectures in scientific High Performance Computing (HPC). NVIDIA established CUDA as a parallel computing architecture controlling and making use of the compute power of GPUs. CUDA provides sufficient support for C++ language elements to enable the Expression Template (ET) technique in the device memory domain. QDP++ is a C++ vector class library suited for quantum field theory which provides vector data types and expressions and forms the basis of the lattice QCD software suite Chroma. In this work accelerating QDP++ expression evaluation to a GPU was successfully implemented leveraging the ET technique and using Just-In-Time (JIT) compilation. The Portable Expression Template Engine (PETE) and the C API for CUDA kernel arguments were used to build the bridge between host and device memory domains. This provides the possibility to accelerate Chroma routines to a GPU which are typically not subject to special optimisation. As an ...

This is an accelerating cavity from LEP, with a layer of niobium on the inside. Operating at 4.2 degrees above absolute zero, the niobium is superconducting and carries an accelerating field of 6 million volts per metre with negligible losses. Each cavity has a surface of 6 m2. The niobium layer is only 1.2 microns thick, ten times thinner than a hair. Such a large area had never been coated to such a high accuracy. A speck of dust could ruin the performance of the whole cavity so the work had to be done in an extremely clean environment. These challenging requirements pushed European industry to new achievements. 256 of these cavities are now used in LEP to double the energy of the particle beams.

We present the application of hardware accelerated volume rendering algorithms to the simulation of radiographs as an aid to scientists designing experiments, validating simulation codes, and understanding experimental data. The techniques presented take advantage of 32 bit floating point texture capabilities to obtain validated solutions to the radiative transport equation for X-rays. An unsorted hexahedron projection algorithm is presented for curvilinear hexahedra that produces simulated radiographs in the absorption-only regime. A sorted tetrahedral projection algorithm is presented that simulates radiographs of emissive materials. We apply the tetrahedral projection algorithm to the simulation of experimental diagnostics for inertial confinement fusion experiments on a laser at the University of Rochester. We show that the hardware accelerated solution is faster than the current technique used by scientists.

The vast majority of radiation treatments for cancerous tumors are given using electron linacs that provide both electrons and photons at several energies. Design and construction of these linacs are based on mature technology that is rapidly becoming more and more standardized and sophisticated. The use of hadrons such as neutrons, protons, alphas, or carbon, oxygen and neon ions is relatively new. Accelerators for hadron therapy are far from standardized, but the use of hadron therapy as an alternative to conventional radiation has led to significant improvements and refinements in conventional treatment techniques. This paper presents the rationale for radiation therapy, describes the accelerators used in conventional and hadron therapy, and outlines the issues that must still be resolved in the emerging field of hadron therapy.

Texture optimization is a texture synthesis method that can efficiently reproduce various features of exemplar textures. However, its slow synthesis speed limits its usage in many interactive or real time applications. In this paper, we propose a parallel texture optimization algorithm to run on GPUs. In our algorithm, k-coherence search and principle component analysis (PCA) are used for hardware acceleration, and two acceleration techniques are further developed to speed up our GPU-based texture optimization. With a reasonable precomputation cost, the online synthesis speed of our algorithm is 4000+ times faster than that of the original texture optimization algorithm and thus our algorithm is capable of interactive applications. The advantages of the new scheme are demonstrated by applying it to interactive editing of flow-guided synthesis.

But a glance at the Livingston chart, Fig. 1, of accelerator particle energy as a function of time shows that the energy has steadily, exponentially, increased. Equally significant is the fact that this increase is the envelope of diverse technologies. If one is to stay on, or even near, the Livingston curve in future years then new acceleration techniques need to be developed. What are the new acceleration methods? In these two lectures I would like to sketch some of these new ideas. I am well aware that they will probably not result in high energy accelerators within this or the next decade, but conversely, it is likely that these ideas will form the basis for the accelerators of the next century. Anyway, the ideas are stimulating and suffice to show that accelerator physicists are not just 'engineers', but genuine scientists deserving to be welcomed into the company of high energy physicists. I believe that outsiders will find this field surprisingly fertile and, certainly fun. To put it more personally, I very much enjoy working in this field and lecturing on it. There are a number of review articles which should be consulted for references to the original literature. In addition there are three books on the subject. Given this material, I feel free to not completely reference the material in the remainder of this article; consultation of the review articles and books will be adequate as an introduction to the literature for references abound (hundreds are given). At last, by way of introduction, I should like to quote from the end of Ref. 2 for I think the remarks made there are most germane. Remember that the talk was addressed to accelerator physicists: 'Finally, it is often said, I think by physicists who are not well-informed, that accelerator builders have used up their capital and now are bereft of ideas, and as a result, high energy physics will eventually--rather soon, in fact--come to a halt. After all, one can't build too many

In clinical research, biostatistical methods allow the rigorous analysis of data collection and should be defined from the trial design to obtain the appropriate experimental approach. Thus, if the main purpose of phase I is to determine the dose to use during phase II, methodology should be finely adjusted to experimental treatment(s). Today, the methodology for chemotherapy and targeted therapy is well known. For radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy phase I trials, the primary endpoint must reflect both effectiveness and potential treatment toxicities. Methodology should probably be complex to limit failures in the following phases. However, there are very few data about methodology design in the literature. The present study focuses on these particular trials and their characteristics. It should help to raise existing methodological patterns shortcomings in order to propose new and better-suited designs.

Tetrathiomolybdate (TM) is a potent nontoxic orally delivered copper complexing agent under development for the last several years for the treatment of Wilson's disease. It has been shown to block angiogenesis in primary and metastatic tumors. Therefore, the combination of cytotoxic radiotherapy (RT) and antiangiogenic TM could target both the existing tumor and the tumor microvasculature in a comprehensive strategy. Using a Lewis lung high metastatic (LLHM) carcinoma mouse tumor model, we demonstrate that the combination of TM and RT is more effective than either used as monotherapy. We also show that their therapeutic effects are additive, with no additional toxicity. We show that TM has no significant cytotoxicity in vitro against LLHM tumor cells, further supporting the antiangiogenic mechanism for its action.

Full Text Available Tetrathiomolybdate (TM is a potent nontoxic orally delivered copper complexing agent under development for the last several years for the treatment of Wilson's disease. It has been shown to block angiogenesis in primary and metastatic tumors. Therefore, the combination of cytotoxic radiotherapy (RT and antiangiogenic TM could target both the existing tumor and the tumor microvasculature in a comprehensive strategy. Using a Lewis lung high metastatic (LLHM carcinoma mouse tumor model, we demonstrate that the combination of TM and RT is more effective than either used as monotherapy. We also show that their therapeutic effects are additive, with no additional toxicity. We show that TM has no significant cytotoxicity in vitro against LLHM tumor cells, further supporting the antiangiogenic mechanism for its action.

Full Text Available Fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma (FLHCC is a rare variant of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC that commonly affects young individuals without a prior history of liver disease. FLHCC commonly results in a better prognosis than HCC; however, the risk of recurrence and metastatic disease is high. FLHCC is typically treated by primary resection of the tumor with 50-75% cure rates. The use of radiation therapy in FLHCC has not been assessed on its own, and may show some success in a very few reported combination therapy cases. We report on the successful use of radiation therapy in a case of metastatic FLHCC to the lung following primary and secondary resections. Our treatment of the large, metastatic, pulmonary FLHCC tumor with 40 Gy in 10 fractions resulted in an 85.9% tumor volume decrease over six months. This suggests FLHCC may be a radiosensitive tumor and radiotherapy may be valuable in unresectable or metastatic tumors.

Carcinomas of the paranasal sinuses are usually advanced when diagnosed and present a therapeutic challenge. During the period between February 1970 and June 1981 44 patients were treated. 22 received postoperative irradiation, seven in combination with chemotherapy. 18 patients were treated with radiation alone, eleven with concomitant chemotherapy. Four patients received preoperative irradiation, three in combination with chemotherapy. The three-year survival is 43% and the five-year survival 33%. For those 26 patients who were irradiated pre- or postoperatively with or without concomitant chemotherapy the five-year survival is 45%. We believe the patient will be afforded the greatest opportunity for cure with the combined efforts of the radiotherapist and the surgeon. The combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy did not provide better results but increased acute and chronic toxicity of the therapy.

The goal of radiation therapy is to achieve maximal therapeutic benefit expressed in terms of a high probability of local control of disease with minimal side effects. Physically this often equates to the delivery of a high dose of radiation to the tumour or target region whilst maintaining an acceptably low dose to other tissues, particularly those adjacent to the target. Techniques such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiosurgery and computer planned brachytherapy provide the means to calculate the radiation dose delivery to achieve the desired dose distribution. Imaging is an essential tool in all state of the art planning and delivery techniques: (i) to enable planning of the desired treatment, (ii) to verify the treatment is delivered as planned and (iii) to follow-up treatment outcome to monitor that the treatment has had the desired effect. Clinical imaging techniques can be loosely classified into anatomic methods which measure the basic physical characteristics of tissue such as their density and biological imaging techniques which measure functional characteristics such as metabolism. In this review we consider anatomical imaging techniques. Biological imaging is considered in another article. Anatomical imaging is generally used for goals (i) and (ii) above. Computed tomography (CT) has been the mainstay of anatomical treatment planning for many years, enabling some delineation of soft tissue as well as radiation attenuation estimation for dose prediction. Magnetic resonance imaging is fast becoming widespread alongside CT, enabling superior soft-tissue visualization. Traditionally scanning for treatment planning has relied on the use of a single snapshot scan. Recent years have seen the development of techniques such as 4D CT and adaptive radiotherapy (ART). In 4D CT raw data are encoded with phase information and reconstructed to yield a set of scans detailing motion through the breathing, or cardiac, cycle. In ART a set of

Using a probabilistic model with parameters from four radiotherapy protocols used in Mexican hospitals for the treatment of cervical cancer, the authors have calculated the distribution of dose to cells in peripheral blood of patients. Values of the mean dose to the lymphocytes during and after a {sup 60}Co treatment are compared to estimates from an in vivo chromosome aberration study performed on five patients. Calculations indicate that the mean dose to the circulating blood is about 2% of the tumor dose, while the mean dose to recirculating lymphocytes may reach up to 7% of the tumor dose. Differences up to a factor of two in the dose to the blood are predicted for different protocols delivering equal tumor doses. The data suggest mean doses higher than the predictions of the model. 10 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.

The concept of a stressed elastic lithospheric plate riding on a viscous asthenosphere is used to calculate the recurrence interval of great earthquakes at convergent plate boundaries, the separation of decoupling and lithospheric earthquakes, and the migration pattern of large earthquakes along an arc. It is proposed that plate motions accelerate after great decoupling earthquakes and that most of the observed plate motions occur during short periods of time, separated by periods of relative quiescence.

Superconducting magnet technology is continually evolving in order to meet the demanding needs of new accelerators and to provide necessary upgrades for existing machines. A variety of designs are now under development, including high fields and gradients, rapid cycling and novel coil configurations. This paper presents a summary of R&D programs in the EU, Japan and the USA. A performance comparison between NbTi and Nb3Sn along with fabrication and cost issues are also discussed.

These copper cavities were used to generate the radio frequency electric field that was used to accelerate electrons and positrons around the 27-km Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider at CERN, which ran from 1989 to 2000. The copper cavities were gradually replaced from 1996 with new superconducting cavities allowing the collision energy to rise from 90 GeV to 200 GeV by mid-1999.

Background and purpose. During the first decade of the 21st century several important European randomized studies in rectal cancer have been published. In order to help shape clinical practice based on best scientific evidence, the International Conference on 'Multidisciplinary Rectal Cancer Treatment: Looking for an European Consensus' (EURECA-CC2) was organized. This article summarizes the consensus about imaging and radiotherapy of rectal cancer and gives an update until May 2010. Methods. Consensus was achieved using the Delphi method. Eight chapters were identified: epidemiology, diagnostics, pathology, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, treatment toxicity and quality of life, follow-up, and research questions. Each chapter was subdivided by topic, and a series of statements were developed. Each committee member commented and voted, sentence by sentence three times. Sentences which did not reach agreement after voting round no 2 were openly debated during the Conference in Perugia (Italy) December 2008. The Executive Committee scored percentage consensus based on three categories: 'large consensus', 'moderate consensus', 'minimum consensus'. Results. The total number of the voted sentences was 207. Of the 207, 86% achieved large consensus, 13% achieved moderate consensus, and only three (1%) resulted in minimum consensus. No statement was disagreed by more than 50% of members. All chapters were voted on by at least 75% of the members, and the majority was voted on by >85%. Considerable progress has been made in staging and treatment, including radiation treatment of rectal cancer. Conclusions. This Consensus Conference represents an expertise opinion process that may help shape future programs, investigational protocols, and guidelines for staging and treatment of rectal cancer throughout Europe. In spite of substantial progress, many research challenges remain

Superselective arterial infusion for patients with advanced head and neck cancer has been increasingly applied in Japan. We analyzed our experiences and evaluated the efficacy and safety of this treatment. Through October 1999 to March 2002, 29 patients, ranging in age between 33 and 71 years (median 52 years), received superselective intra-arterial infusion therapy of cisplatin (100-120 mg/m{sup 2}/week) with simultaneous intravenous infusion of thiosulfate for neutralizing cisplatin toxicity, and conventional concomitant extrabeam radiotherapy (65 Gy/26 f/6.5 weeks). Four patients were diagnosed with stage III and 25 with stage IV. Thirteen patients were considered contraindicated for surgery, and the other 16 patients rejected radical surgery. Primary tumor sites included paranasal sinus (11 patients), hypopharynx (7), oropharynx (6), oral cavity (4), and parotid gland (1). During the median follow-up period of 20 months, there was no apparent recurrence in 14 (48.3%) of 29 patients. Eleven (37.9%) patients died of disease, and three (10.3%) were alive with disease. In twenty-one patients (72.4%) the primary lesions were well-controlled. Acute toxic effects were moderate, and severe toxic events occurred in four cases, namely, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pneumonia, sepsis, tetraplasia, and osteoradionecrosis. We confirmed the effectiveness and safety of superselective arterial infusion and concomitant radiotherapy. Furthermore, we must establish the optimal procedures and schedule, as well as the indications for this treatment. This treatment protocol may improve the prognosis of patients with unresectable disease and patients rejecting surgical treatment. Further study in this particular area is needed. (author)

The overall objectives of the proposal were to develop estrogen receptor (ER) binding small molecule radiopharmaceuticals for targeted radiotherapy of ER positive (ER+) tumors. In particular, this proposal focused on embedding a {sup 186,188}Re or a {sup 32}P radionuclide into an estrogen steroidal framework by isosteric substitution such that the resulting structure is topologically similar to the estrogen (estrogen mimic). The estrogen mimic molecules expected to bind to the ER and exhibit biodistribution akin to that of native estrogen due to structural mimicry. It is anticipated that the {sup 186,188}Re- or a {sup 32}P-containing estrogen mimics will be useful for targeted molecular radiotherapy of ER+ tumors. It is well established that the in vivo target tissue uptake of estrogen like steroidal molecules is related to the binding of the steroids to sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). SHBG is important in the uptake of estrogens and testosterone in target tissues by SHBG receptors on the cell surface. However, hitherto the design of estrogen like small molecule radiopharmaceuticals was focused on optimizing ER binding characteristics without emphasis on SHBG binding properties. Consequently, even the molecules with good ER affinity in vitro, performed poorly in biodistribution studies. Based on molecular modeling studies the proposal focused on developing estrogen mimics 1-3 which were topologically similar to native estrogens, and form hydrogen bonds in ER and SHBG in the same manner as those of native estrogens. To this end the technical objectives of the proposal focused on synthesizing the rhenium-estrone and estradiol mimics 1 and 2 respectively, and phosphorous estradiol mimic 3 and to assess their stability and in vitro binding characteristics to ER and SHBG.

This article describes and contextualises the findings from an email survey of cancer centres in the United Kingdom (UK) conducted early in 2005. It sought to discover how widely the model consent policy and process, published in 2001 [Department of Health. Good practice in consent. Achieving the NHS Plan commitment to patient-centred consent practice. HSC 2001/023. NHS Executive; November 2001], had been implemented and, more controversially, which professional groups gained the consent of patients to radiotherapy. The survey was sent on the author's behalf by the Society and College of Radiographers (SCoR) to all cancer centres in the UK, including five private sector facilities (n = 63). Forty-eight responses were received (76%). A majority of cancer centres have implemented the new procedures and these are undertaken most commonly by consultant oncologists and trained specialist registrars. In 10 centres, therapeutic radiographers (radiographers) are among the team gaining consent to radiotherapy and other centres have radiographers in training. There is widespread adherence to government guidance for obtaining consent and a growing number of centres are implementing radiographer-led consent. However, this is controversial from both medical and radiographic professional perspectives despite guidance indicating that the person who is actually treating the patients should seek their consent [Department of Health. 12 Key points on consent: the law in England. March 2001]. In the context of creating person-centred services, the significance for the development of the profession of therapeutic radiography is evaluated. In particular, the implications of radiographers both capitalising on and failing to assume this professional responsibility were explored.

To evaluate the efficacy of combined treatment of surgery and chemoradiotherapy for supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumors (SPNET) and obtain the prognostic factors and complications. The age of 18 patients ranged from 1 to 27 years (median = 5 years). There were 12 males and 6 females. The extents of surgery were gross total (n=9), subtotal (n=8), biopsy only (n=1). Craniospinal radiotherapy was delivered to all the patients except 2 patients who were treated only with the whole brain and primary lesion. Radiation dose were 3120 - 5800 cGy (median=5460) to primary mass, 1500 - 4200 cGy (median = 3600 cGy) to the whole brain and 1320 - 3600 cGy (median = 2400 cGy) to the spinal axis. Chemotherapy was done in 13 patients. Median follow-up period was 45 months ranged from 1 to 89 months. Patterns of failure were as follows; local recurrence (1), multiple intracranial recurrence (2), spinal seeding (3), craniospinal seeding (2) and multiple bone metastasis (1). Two of two patients who did not received craniospinal radiotherapy failed at spinal are. All the relapsed cases died at 1 to 13 months after diagnosis of progression. The 2- and 5-year overall survival rates were 61% and 49%, respectively. The age, sex, tumor location did not influence the survival bu aggressive resection with combined chemotherapy showed better outcome. Among 9 survivors, complications were detected as radiation necrosis (n=1), hypopituitarism (n=2), cognitive defect (n=1), memory deficit (n=1), growth retardation (n=1). To improve the results of treatment of SPENT, maximal surgical resection followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy is necessary. The extended radiation field including craniospinal axis may reduce the recurrence in spinal axis. (author).

Purpose: To report the outcomes and toxicities in patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Methods and Materials: Forty-seven patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma were treated with IMRT between 2003 and 2008. Of these 47 patients, 29 were treated adjuvantly and 18 definitively. All received concurrent 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. The treatment plans were optimized such that 95% of the planning target volume received the prescription dose. The median delivered dose for the adjuvant and definitive patients was 50.4 and 54.0 Gy, respectively. Results: The median age at diagnosis was 63.9 years. For adjuvant patients, the 1- and 2-year overall survival rate was 79% and 40%, respectively. The 1- and 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was 58% and 17%, respectively. The local-regional control rate at 1 and 2 years was 92% and 80%, respectively. For definitive patients, the 1-year overall survival, recurrence-free survival, and local-regional control rate was 24%, 16%, and 64%, respectively. Four patients developed Grade 3 or greater acute toxicity (9%) and four developed Grade 3 late toxicity (9%). Conclusions: Survival for patients with pancreatic cancer remains poor. A small percentage of adjuvant patients have durable disease control, and with improved therapies, this proportion will increase. Systemic therapy offers the greatest opportunity. The present results have demonstrated that IMRT is well tolerated. Compared with those who received three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy in previously reported prospective clinical trials, patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with IMRT in our series had improved acute toxicity.

Purpose: To investigate whether the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in prostate bed treatment planning could influence definition of the clinical target volume (CTV) and organs at risk. Methods and Materials: A total of 21 consecutive patients referred for prostate bed radiotherapy were included in the present retrospective study. The CTV was delineated according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer recommendations on computed tomography (CT) and T{sub 1}-weighted (T{sub 1}w) and T{sub 2}-weighted (T{sub 2}w) MRI. The CTV magnitude, agreement, and spatial differences were evaluated on the planning CT scan after registration with the MRI scans. Results: The CTV was significantly reduced on the T{sub 1}w and T{sub 2}w MRI scans (13% and 9%, respectively) compared with the CT scans. The urinary bladder was drawn smaller on the CT scans and the rectum was smaller on the MRI scans. On T{sub 1}w MRI, the rectum and urinary bladder were delineated larger than on T{sub 2}w MRI. Minimal agreement was observed between the CT and T{sub 2}w images. The main spatial differences were measured in the superior and superolateral directions in which the CTV on the MRI scans was 1.8-2.9 mm smaller. In the posterior and inferior border, no difference was seen between the CT and T{sub 1}w MRI scans. On the T{sub 2}w MRI scans, the CTV was larger in these directions (by 1.3 and 1.7 mm, respectively). Conclusions: The use of MRI in postprostatectomy radiotherapy planning resulted in a reduction of the CTV. The main differences were found in the superior part of the prostate bed. We believe T{sub 2}w MRI enables more precise definition of prostate bed CTV than conventional planning CT.

In this overview the technique of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and its use are described. AMS is a highly sensitive method of counting atoms. It is used to detect very low concentrations of natural isotopic abundances (typically in the range between 10(-12) and 10(-16)) of both radionuclides and stable nuclides. The main advantages of AMS compared to conventional radiometric methods are the use of smaller samples (mg and even sub-mg size) and shorter measuring times (less than 1 hr). The equipment used for AMS is almost exclusively based on the electrostatic tandem accelerator, although some of the newest systems are based on a slightly different principle. Dedicated accelerators as well as older "nuclear physics machines" can be found in the 80 or so AMS laboratories in existence today. The most widely used isotope studied with AMS is 14C. Besides radiocarbon dating this isotope is used in climate studies, biomedicine applications and many other fields. More than 100,000 14C samples are measured per year. Other isotopes studied include 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, 59Ni, 129I, U, and Pu. Although these measurements are important, the number of samples of these other isotopes measured each year is estimated to be less than 10% of the number of 14C samples.

Full Text Available Profile hidden Markov models (profile HMMs and probabilistic inference methods have made important contributions to the theory of sequence database homology search. However, practical use of profile HMM methods has been hindered by the computational expense of existing software implementations. Here I describe an acceleration heuristic for profile HMMs, the "multiple segment Viterbi" (MSV algorithm. The MSV algorithm computes an optimal sum of multiple ungapped local alignment segments using a striped vector-parallel approach previously described for fast Smith/Waterman alignment. MSV scores follow the same statistical distribution as gapped optimal local alignment scores, allowing rapid evaluation of significance of an MSV score and thus facilitating its use as a heuristic filter. I also describe a 20-fold acceleration of the standard profile HMM Forward/Backward algorithms using a method I call "sparse rescaling". These methods are assembled in a pipeline in which high-scoring MSV hits are passed on for reanalysis with the full HMM Forward/Backward algorithm. This accelerated pipeline is implemented in the freely available HMMER3 software package. Performance benchmarks show that the use of the heuristic MSV filter sacrifices negligible sensitivity compared to unaccelerated profile HMM searches. HMMER3 is substantially more sensitive and 100- to 1000-fold faster than HMMER2. HMMER3 is now about as fast as BLAST for protein searches.

A new EU-funded research and training network, oPAC, is bringing together 22 universities, research centres and industry partners to optimize particle accelerator technology. CERN is one of the network’s main partners and will host 5 early-stage researchers in the BE department. A diamond detector that will be used for novel beam diagnostics applications in the oPAC project based at CIVIDEC. (Image courtesy of CIVIDEC.) As one of the largest Marie Curie Initial Training Networks ever funded by the EU – to the tune of €6 million – oPAC extends well beyond the particle physics community. “Accelerator physics has become integral to research in almost every scientific discipline – be it biology and life science, medicine, geology and material science, or fundamental physics,” explains Carsten P. Welsch, oPAC co-ordinator based at the University of Liverpool. “By optimizing the operation of accelerators, all of these...

A linear accelerator, which increases the energy of protons from a 4 Mev Van de Graaff injector, to a final energy of 31.5 Mev, has been constructed. The accelerator consists of a cavity 40 feet long and 39 inches in diameter, excited at resonance in a longitudinal electric mode with a radio-frequency power of about 2.2 x 10{sup 6} watts peak at 202.5 mc. Acceleration is made possible by the introduction of 46 axial "drift tubes" into the cavity, which is designed such that the particles traverse the distance between the centers of successive tubes in one cycle of the r.f. power. The protons are longitudinally stable as in the synchrotron, and are stabilized transversely by the action of converging fields produced by focusing grids. The electrical cavity is constructed like an inverted airplane fuselage and is supported in a vacuum tank. Power is supplied by 9 high powered oscillators fed from a pulse generator of the artificial transmission line type.

A new €140m particle accelerator for nuclear physics located at the French Large Heavy Ion National Accelerator (GANIL) in Caen was inaugurated last month in a ceremony attended by French president François Hollande.

An overview is given of the results obtained in the Plasma Accelerator Experiments in Belgrade, using quasi-stationary high current plasma accelerators constructed within the framework of the Yugoslavia-Belarus Joint Project. So far, the following plasma accelerators have been realized: Magnetoplasma Compressor type (MPC); MPC Yu type; one stage Erosive Plasma Dynamic System (EPDS) and, in final stage of construction two stage Quasi-Stationary High Current Plasma Accelerator (QHPA).

The following report describes our technique of rotational total skin radiotherapy with electrons (TSER). We present stage related treatment results. Furthermore our first experiences with the combination of TSER and total nodal irradiation (TNI) are communicated.

A brief review is given of the clinical management of patients with pituitary adenomas such as prolactinomas, adenomasin acromegoly and Leushin`s disease, and non-functioning pituitary adenomas. In particular the complications of radiotherapy are explored. (UK).

Full Text Available In recent years many patients have been received radiotherapy for head and neck tumors and"na large number of them have been survived for some years."nThe side effects of radiotherapy in oral region are mucositis, ulcers, fungal and viral infections and"nsalivary glands dysfunction. Among these, mucositis is the most important one."nA randomized double blind clinical trial was performed in radiotherapy department of Tehran Imam"nKhomeini Hospital to determine chamomile mouth rinse effects on mucositis after radiotherapy."nThe patients are selected randomly from those with oral oropharyngeal or nasopharyngeal cancers."nData showed that chamomile administration could decrease mucositis rate significantly,

We report a case of recurrent anaplastic meningioma with multiple spinal manifestations treated successfully by radiotherapy following several local surgical resections which previously failed to control this tumor. (orig./MG).

The multi-objective optimization of inverse planning based on the Pareto solution set, according to the multi-objective character of inverse planning in accurate radiotherapy, was studied in this paper. Firstly, the clinical requirements of a treatment pl

Full Text Available Malignant astrocytomas of the brain carry a poor prognosis. This article traces the evolution of radiotherapy and chemotherapy practice including the development of concurrent chemo-radiation schedules in the context of these tumors.

Full Text Available Purpose : Tumor bleeding continues to remain a challenge in an oncological setting, and radiotherapy has been studied as a local hemostatic agent. We studied the role of local radiotherapy in controlling bleeding at our center. Materials and Methods : We reviewed 25 treated cases (cancer urinary bladder: 12, lung cancer: 5, cervical cancer: 4, uterine cancer: 1, rectal cancer: 2, schwanoma: 1 at our center from March 2008 to December 2010. All patients had either an advanced or recurrent disease. Radiotherapy schedule was either 20 Gray in 5 fractions or 15 Gray in 5 fractions and was delivered with Cobalt 60. Results and Conclusion : Of 25 patients, 22 (88% responded, and there was complete cessation of bleeding. Both 15 Gray and 20 Gray dose schedule had equal efficacy. Treatment was well tolerated without any intermission. Radiotherapy is a safe and effective option in controlling tumor bleeding.

No consensus exists regarding the role of radiotherapy in the management of gynecologic cancer in nonagenar‑ian patients. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of 19 consecutive nonagenarian patients with gynecologic cancer (6 endometrial cancers, 6 cervical cancers, 4 vulvar cancers, and 3 vaginal cancers) who were treated with radiotherapy. Radiotherapy was performed mainly in a palliative setting (n=12; 63.2%), with a median dose of 45Gy (range, 6–76Gy). Infrequent major acute or late toxicities were reported. Among 19 patients, 9 (47.4%) experienced tumor progression, 5 (26.3%) experienced complete response, 2 (10.5%) experienced stable disease and/or partial response. At last follow‑up, 12 patients (63.2%) had died; most deaths (n=9) occurred because of the cancer. These results suggest that radiotherapy is feasible in the treatment of nonagenarian patients with gynecologic cancer.

We propose a definition of uniform accelerated frames in de Sitter spacetimes exploiting the Nachtmann group theoretical method of introducing coordinates on these manifolds. Requiring the transformation between the static frame and the accelerated one to depend continuously on acceleration in order to recover the well-known Rindler approach in the flat limit, we obtain a result with a reasonable physical meaning.

Indication for radiotherapy is often questioned for patients equipped with implantable medical devices like infusion pumps as the radiation tolerance is poor or not known. We report here on the case of a patient who we treated with pelvic radiotherapy for cervical cancer and who had an infusion pump in iliac fossa. We conducted a series of tests on five identical pumps that insured that the treatment protocol is harmless to the implanted device.

Abstract For early-stage lung cancer, the treatment of choice is surgery. In patients who are not surgical candidates or are unwilling to undergo surgery, radiotherapy is the principal treatment option. Here, we review stereotactic body radiotherapy, a technique that has produced quite promising results in such patients and should be the treatment of choice, if available. We also present the major indications, technical aspects, results, and special situations related to the technique. PMID:26398758

Gold nanoparticles are promising as a kind of novel radiosensitizer in radiotherapy. If gold nanoparticles are shown to have good irradiation stability and biocompatibility, they would play an important role in radiotherapy. In this work, we investigated irradiation effects of gold nanoparticles under 2–10 kR gamma irradiation and cytotoxicity of gold nanoparticles with human K562 cells by using Cell Titre-Glo™ luminescent cell viability assay. The results revealed that gamma irradiation had ...

The authors report the assessment of the local control and relapse rates in a set of 70 patients who had been treated in 2004 and 2005 by radiotherapy associated or not with chemotherapy for a cervical cancer of stage IIbd, III or IVa according to the FIGO classification. The obtained results correspond to that published in literature. The authors expect that the improvement of radiotherapy techniques could improve these results. Short communication

Few potentially curative treatment options exist apart from hepatic resection for patients with huge hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Proton radiotherapy is a promising new modality which has an inherent antitumor effect against HCC. However, the application of proton radiotherapy for tumors adjacent to the gastrointestinal tract is restricted because the tolerance dose of the intestine is extremely low. A novel two-step treatment was developed with surgical spacer placement and subsequent proton radiotherap...

Adequate surgical management of primary melanoma and regional lymph node metastasis, and rarely distant metastasis, is the only established curative treatment. Surgical management of primary melanomas consists of excisions with 1-2 cm margins and primary closure. The recommended method of biopsy...... on individual circumstances. Radiotherapy is indicated as a treatment option in select patients with lentigo maligna melanoma and as an adjuvant in select patients with regional metastatic disease. Radiotherapy is also indicated for palliation, especially in bone and brain metastases....

Full Text Available This is a case report of a 13 year old boy who has been operated for Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis (PVNS and treated with adjuvant post-operative radiotherapy for incomplete surgical resection. This report mainly highlights the role of radiotherapy in managing this rare benign condition with emphasis on improving local control rates with functional joint preservation and avoiding repeated surgeries. [Natl J Med Res 2016; 6(2.000: 222-223

Most of the recurrences after Wertheim hysterectomy or definitive radiotherapy for cancer of the cervix occur within two or three years following treatment. Late recurrence is an uncommon event accounting for less than 1% of all patients with cancer of the cervix treated by radiotherapy. We present a case of reappearance of cervical cancer 19 years after irradiation and review the literature. (au) 7 refs.

Radiotherapy is one of the corner stone treatments for patients with prostate cancer. Especially for locally advanced tumors radiotherapy +/- adjuvant androgen deprivation treatment is standard of care. This brings up the need for accurate assessment of extra prostatic tumor growth and/or the presence of nodal metastases for selection of the optimal radiation dose and treatment volume. Morphological imaging like transrectal ultra sound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are routinely used but are limited in their accuracy in detecting extra prostatic extension and nodal metastases. In this article we present a structured review of the literature on positron emission tomography (PET)/CT and radiotherapy in prostate cancer patients with emphasis on: 1) the pretreatment assessment of extra prostatic tumor extension, nodal and distant metastases; 2) the intraprostatic tumor characterization and radiotherapy treatment planning; and 3) treatment evaluation and the use of PET/CT in guidance of salvage treatment. PET/CT is not an appropriate imaging technique for accurate T-staging of prostate cancer prior to radiotherapy. Although macroscopic disease beyond the prostatic capsule and into the periprostatic fat or in seminal vesicle is often accurately detected, the microscopic extension of prostate cancer remains undetected. Choline PET/CT holds a great potential as a single step diagnostic procedure of lymph nodes and skeleton, which could facilitate radiotherapy treatment planning. At present the use of PET/CT for treatment planning in radiotherapy is still experimental. Choline PET based tumor delineation is not yet standardized and different segmentation-algorithms are under study. However, dose escalation using dose-painting is feasible with only limited increases of the doses to the bladder and rectum wall. PET/CT using either acetate or choline is able to detect recurrent prostate cancer after radiotherapy but stratification of patients

For early-stage lung cancer, the treatment of choice is surgery. In patients who are not surgical candidates or are unwilling to undergo surgery, radiotherapy is the principal treatment option. Here, we review stereotactic body radiotherapy, a technique that has produced quite promising results in such patients and should be the treatment of choice, if available. We also present the major indications, technical aspects, results, and special situations related to the technique. (author)

Among 146 prostate carcinoma patients treated with external radiotherapy at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, the 5 and 10 year survival rates were 64.1% and 40.5%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 88.2% for patients with Stage A, 86.8% for Stage B, and 58% for Stage C; it was 64.4% for patients with more differentiated carcinomas, but only 28.7% for patients with undifferentiated tumors. Patients with obstructive changes on IVP had a 5 year survival rate of 24.1%, whereas, for patients with no obstruction on IVP, this rate was 71.3%. When radiotherapy started within 6 months after the diagnosis, the 5 year survival rate was 70.3%, whereas, a delay in starting radiotherapy, for more than 6 months after the diagnosis, was associated with a survival rate of 31.9%. Radiation dose of 6500 rad or more was associated with a 5-year survival rate of 86.7%, whereas, for a dose of less than 6500 rad this survival rate was 57.1%. All the above differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Other factors found to influence the prognosis to a degree that was not statistically significant included: age of the patient at the time of radiotherapy, presenting symptoms, levels of acid phosphatase in the serum and in the bone marrow, and size of the irradiated volume. In agreement with other published series the complications were usually mild and their incidence low. Tumor involving and protruding into the urethra may have contributed to the formation of urethral strictures. Local control of this cancer with external radiotherapy appears very successful. Treatment failures were manifested most often with distant metastases with or without local recurrence, suggesting that subclinical distant metastases might have been present prior to initiation of radiotherapy. External radiotherapy rather than brachytherapy, appears to be the treatment of choice for cancer of the prostate with indications for radiotherapy.

Radiation therapy may cause acute and/or chronic skin reactions. In this paper a patient with contact urticaria associated with irradiation is described. We could not determine the agent behind the contact urticaria in our patient in light of the current literature. We are reporting this case because the literature neither mentioned radiotherapy as being among the agents that lead to contact urticaria nor reported contact urticaria as being among the acute reactions to radiotherapy. (author)

In a conventional carbon-ion radiotherapy facility, a carbon-ion beam is typically accelerated up to an optimum energy, slowly extracted from a synchrotron ring by a resonant slow extraction method, and ultimately delivered to a patient through a beam-delivery system. At Japan's Gunma University, a method employing slow-beam extraction along with beam-acceleration has been adopted. This method slightly alters the extracted-beam's energy owing to the acceleration component of the process, which subsequently results in a residual-range variation of approximately 2 mm in water-equivalent length. However, this range variation does not disturb a distal dose distribution with broad-beam methods such as the single beam-wobbling method. With the pencil-beam 3D scanning method, however, such a range variation disturbs a distal dose distribution because the variation is comparable to slice thickness. Therefore, for pencil-beam 3D scanning, an energy compensation method for a slow extracted beam is proposed in this paper. This method can compensate for the aforementioned energy variances by controlling net energy losses through a rotatable energy absorber set fixed between the synchrotron exit channel and the isocenter. Experimental results demonstrate that beam energies can be maintained constant, as originally hypothesized. Moreover, energy-absorber positions were found to be significantly enhanced by optimizing beam optics for reducing beam-size growth by implementation of the multiple-scattering effect option.

Radiotherapy of brain lesions near critical structures requires a high accuracy in the location and dose. The high precision is achieved by the location of the stereotactic apparatus. The accuracy in dose delivery should be accompanied by an accurate quality control in devices that involve the practice, however, still does not guarantee the dose at the time of therapy. The large number of fields and the small size of these conventional methods difficult dosimetry during treatment. The objective of this work was to develop a verification methodology in vivo dosimetry in stereotactic radiotherapy with the aid of the film radiochromic Linear Accelerator with multi leaf collimators Moduleaf. The technique uses film segments radiochromic Gafchromic EBT2, with dimensions of 1x1 cm{sup 2} in area outside the coupled micro-multileaf Moduleaf Siemens. These films were inserted in the region of the central axis of the beam. The films were irradiated and calibrated to obtain the factors that determine the size dependence of the dosimetric field. With these data, we designed a computer program which calculates the density of a film must acquire when subjected to an exposure in this setting. This study evaluated five non-coplanar plans, the first with 15 fields and the other with 25 fields. Before starting the procedure, the film segment is coupled to the device, and after the treatment, the relative density is evaluated and compared with the calculated. The average value of the verification at the time of radiation dosimetry compared with the calculated by the sheet was 1.5%. The data collected in this study showed a satisfactory agreement between measured and calculated by the program in the densitometer. Thus, a methodology was developed to verify in vivo dosimetry in radiotherapy and stereotactic linear accelerator collimators Moduleaf. (author)

Recent achievements in proton and carbon ions therapy have shown the importance of the hadron therapy methods. Aiming at radiotherapy applications such as dermatological and intra-operative procedures, where a short range treatment is needed, we have studied the use of nuclear reactions induced by low energy ions from small accelerators. A very suitable reaction is D(3He,p)4He, using 3He+ ions with energies of about 800 keV. The resulting protons have energies above 17 MeV and could deliver significant radiation dose depending on the accelerator 3He+ beam current and the irradiation time. The deuterium containing target was prepared by reactive magnetron sputtering of titanium in Ar and Ar + D2 radiofrequency plasma on a substrate of Silicon. The Ti-Dx stoichiometry and deuterium content was determined by Ion Beam Analysis. The accelerated 3He+ beam was provided by the 2.5MV Van de Graaff accelerator at the National Laboratories of Legnaro, INFN, Italy. Proton yield as a function of the beam current at different forward scattering angles has been studied for the energies of the incoming 3He+ in the 700keV - 800keV energy interval. The irradiated volume and the radiation dose in biological tissues as a function of the proton energy and proton yield has been estimated. Possible applications in small animal treatment studies as well as potential clinical radiotherapy applications are discussed.

The aim of this review is to explore the changing utility of radiotherapy in the treatment of patients with glioblastoma over the past 60 years. Together with surgery, radiotherapy has always been the cornerstone of treatment of glioblastoma, but techniques have significantly advanced over this time. The exploration of early two-dimensional techniques, investigation of dose escalation, concomitant chemotherapy and modern techniques, including intensity-modulated radiotherapy, image-guided radiotherapy, and volumetric-modulated arc therapy will be covered. In addition, current controversies including decreasing margin size, re-irradiation, treatment of elderly patients, and novel imaging tracers will be discussed. Future directions including immunotherapy and tumour treating fields are examined. Radiotherapy-based treatments cannot rely solely on advances in chemotherapy or immunotherapy to improve the overall survival of patients with glioblastoma. Radiation oncology needs to continue to develop and improve the delivery, target definition, and dose of radiotherapy to these patients to improve their survival and the toxicity associated with treatment.

An anonymous questionnaire study was designed to assess sexual function after orchidectomy and radiotherapy for testicular cancer. Questionnaires were sent to: (1) 237 patients treated with orchidectomy and abdominal radio-therapy in Edinburgh from 1974 to 1988; (2) 32 patients under 'surveillance' following orchidectomy alone; (3) 402 'normal' age-matched controls. All were asked questions concerning sexual function over the preceding 6 months. All the patients were also asked the same questions with reference to the first 6 months after completion of treatment. Completed questionnaires were returned from 137 (62%) radiotherapy patients, 18 (56%) surveillance patients and 121 (35%) controls. There was a significant difference between the radiotherapy patients and the controls in almost all the parameters looked at including erection, ejaculation and libido with the treated group performing less well. In addition, almost 24% of radiotherapy patients felt disabled or disfigured by the treatment, most commonly because of the presence of only one testicle. A deterioration in sexual function was observed with increasing age. In the radiotherapy group there was no difference in response between the 2 time periods or in any of the treatment variables. The clinical significance of these observations are unclear but together with increasing information on other toxicities emerging following this therapy the role of radiation for early stage seminoma is being brought into question. This study also confirms the morbidity of orchidectomy. It is suggested that testicular implants should be offered more widely. (author). 28 refs., 6 figs.

Nutrition-related complications of radiotherapy were evaluated in 74 head and neck cancer patients. Subjective changes of mouth dryness, taste, dysphagia, appetite, and food preferences were determined by questionnaire before and at weekly intervals during curative radiotherapy. Changes in body weight during therapy were also recorded. In addition, 24-hour dietary histories were taken from eight patients at the beginning and end of treatment. Results of the study indicate that patients were subjectively aware of nutritional problems prior to therapy and that therapy exacerbated these problems. As many as 25% of the patients experienced oral complications such as taste loss and/or dry mouth prior to initiation of radiotherapy. By the end of radiotherapy, over 80% of the patients were aware of oral and nutritional problems. Patients had an average weight loss of 5 kg prior to therapy; this loss of weight did not change during therapy. Diet histories of eight patients indicate significant caloric deficiencies early and late in radiotherapy. The oral and nutritional problems experienced by patients, even prior to therapy, support the idea that nutritional evaluation and maintenance are important not only during therapy, but prior to radiotherapy as well. Nutritional evaluation should be made a routine, integral part of therapy for every cancer patient.

This work was performed in the frame of a Coordinated Research Project (CRP) with IAEA whose objective was to extend the scope of activities carried out by national TLD-based networks from dosimetry audit for rectangular radiation fields to irregular and small fields relevant to modern radiotherapy. External audit is a crucial element in QA programmes for clinical dosimetry in radiotherapy, therefore a methodology and procedures were developed and were made available for dose measurement of complex radiotherapy parameters used for cancer treatment. There were three audit steps involved in this CRP: TLD based dosimetry for irregular MLC fields for conformal radiotherapy, dosimetry in the presence of heterogeneities and 2D MLC shaped fields relevant to stereotactic radiotherapy and applicable to dosimetry for IMRT. In addition, a new development of film-based 2D dosimetry for testing dose distributions in small field geometry was included. The plan for each audit step involved a pilot study and a trial audit run with a few local hospitals. The pilot study focused on conducting and evaluation of the audit procedures with all participants. The trial audit run was the running of the audit procedures by the participants to test them with a few local radiotherapy hospitals. This work intends to provide audits which are much nearer clinical practice than previous audits as they involve significant testing of Tps methods, as well as verifications to determinate whether hospitals can correctly calculate dose delivery in radiation treatments. (author)

Surgery and radiotherapy commonly cause adverse musculoskeletal problems, particularly loss of strength and range of motion, in the upper quadrant of breast cancer patients. Few well-designed studies have investigated whether these impairments can be prevented. Stretching is an effective technique for increasing range of motion, hence the aim of this study was to investigate whether a stretching program reduced acute musculoskeletal impairments in patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer. Sixty-four women were recruited prior to commencement of radiotherapy following breast cancer surgery. Participants were randomised to either a control or stretch group. Participants in both groups were reviewed by the physical therapist on a weekly basis for approximately 6 weeks, and were given general information about skin care and lymphedema. The control group received no advice about exercise. The stretch group received instruction on low-load, prolonged pectoral stretches, which were to be performed daily and were checked at weekly visits. Shoulder range of motion, strength, arm circumference, and quality of life measurements were taken prior to, and at completion of radiotherapy, and at 7 months after radiotherapy. There was no difference in any outcome between groups. Breast symptoms increased for both groups during radiotherapy, without loss of strength or range of movement. The incidence of lymphedema during the study was low for both groups and did not differ between groups. The pectoral stretching program did not influence the outcomes measured because the symptoms reported by patients were not a consequence of contracture.

Radiation therapists (RTs) plan and deliver radiotherapy treatment for patients diagnosed with cancer. They need to communicate regularly with their patients and may have a role to play in reducing patient anxiety and distress. The objectives were to explore how the environment of radiotherapy departments supports or inhibits communication generally and information giving and supportive care provision in particular. An ethnographic approach was used to gather rich descriptive data through observations and interviews conducted in two Australian radiotherapy centres. Time, space and a technology driven culture was found to negatively affect the quality of interaction that occurred between RTs and their patients. This research has shown design/modification of spaces is needed in the radiotherapy environment to reflect a patient care centred culture and to enhance opportunities for RTs to provide supportive care for their patients.

In radiotherapy beams of high energy photons produced lower doses in the skin and a lower dose dispersed into surrounding healthy tissue. However, when operating above 10 MV, Linacs have some drawbacks such as the generation of photo-neutrons and activation of some components of the accelerator. The launch and capture of neutrons produce radioactive nuclei that can radiate even when the accelerator is not working. These reactions occur mainly in the heavier materials of the head accelerator. This work has studied the activation generated isotopes resulting, concluding that these derived doses are not negligible. (Author)

In this paper we propose a protocol for the systematic planning process for a planner and an Accelerator XiO Primus. This protocol includes the creation of ancillary volumes for better dosimetric evaluation and design fields. Are some practical tips and cases arise in which you can change the Class Solution home. We compare this treatment with 10 turns without turning table with other tables. Finally, we show the advantages of this method from the radiobiological point of view to the bone, the main body of this type of risk treatments.

The Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) project, sponsored by Department of Energy Defense Programs (DOE/DP), involves the preconceptual design of an accelerator system to produce tritium for the nation`s stockpile of nuclear weapons. Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen used in nuclear weapons, and must be replenished because of radioactive decay (its half-life is approximately 12 years). Because the annual production requirements for tritium has greatly decreased since the end of the Cold War, an alternative approach to reactors for tritium production, based on a linear accelerator, is now being seriously considered. The annual tritium requirement at the time this study was undertaken (1992-1993) was 3/8 that of the 1988 goal, usually stated as 3/8-Goal. Continued reduction in the number of weapons in the stockpile has led to a revised (lower) production requirement today (March, 1995). The production requirement needed to maintain the reduced stockpile, as stated in the recent Nuclear Posture Review (summer 1994) is approximately 3/16-Goal, half the previous level. The Nuclear Posture Review also requires that the production plant be designed to accomodate a production increase (surge) to 3/8-Goal capability within five years, to allow recovery from a possible extended outage of the tritium plant. A multi-laboratory team, collaborating with several industrial partners, has developed a preconceptual APT design for the 3/8-Goal, operating at 75% capacity. The team has presented APT as a promising alternative to the reactor concepts proposed for Complex-21. Given the requirements of a reduced weapons stockpile, APT offers both significant safety, environmental, and production-fexibility advantages in comparison with reactor systems, and the prospect of successful development in time to meet the US defense requirements of the 21st Century.

Various acceleration schemes for muons are presented. The overall goal of the acceleration systems: large acceptance acceleration to 25 GeV and 'beam shaping' can be accomplished by various fixed field accelerators at different stages. They involve three superconducting linacs: a single pass linear Pre-accelerator followed by a pair of multi-pass Recirculating Linear Accelerators (RLA) and finally a non-scaling FFAG ring. The present baseline acceleration scenario has been optimized to take maximum advantage of appropriate acceleration scheme at a given stage. The solenoid based Pre-accelerator offers very large acceptance and facilitates correction of energy gain across the bunch and significant longitudinal compression trough induced synchrotron motion. However, far off-crest acceleration reduces the effective acceleration gradient and adds complexity through the requirement of individual RF phase control for each cavity. The RLAs offer very efficient usage of high gradient superconducting RF and ability to adjust path-length after each linac pass through individual return arcs with uniformly periodic FODO optics suitable for chromatic compensation of emittance dilution with sextupoles. However, they require spreaders/recombiners switchyards at both linac ends and significant total length of the arcs. The non-scaling Fixed Field Alternating Gradient (FFAG) ring combines compactness with very large chromatic acceptance (twice the injection energy) and it allows for large number of passes through the RF (at least eight, possibly as high as 15).

There are two major medical applications of ion accelerators. One is a production of short-lived isotopes for radionuclide imaging with positron emission tomography and single photon emission computer tomography. Generally, a combination of a source for negative ions (usually H- and/or D-) and a cyclotron is used; this system is well established and distributed over the world. Other important medical application is charged-particle radiotherapy, where the accelerated ion beam itself is being used for patient treatment. Two distinctly different methods are being applied: either with protons or with heavy-ions (mostly carbon ions). Proton radiotherapy for deep-seated tumors has become widespread since the 1990s. The energy and intensity are typically over 200 MeV and several 1010 pps, respectively. Cyclotrons as well as synchrotrons are utilized. The ion source for the cyclotron is generally similar to the type for production of radioisotopes. For a synchrotron, one applies a positive ion source in combination with an injector linac. Carbon ion radiotherapy awakens a worldwide interest. About 6000 cancer patients have already been treated with carbon beams from the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan. These clinical results have clearly verified the advantages of carbon ions. Heidelberg Ion Therapy Center and Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center have been successfully launched. Several new facilities are under commissioning or construction. The beam energy is adjusted to the depth of tumors. It is usually between 140 and 430 MeV/u. Although the beam intensity depends on the irradiation method, it is typically several 108 or 109 pps. Synchrotrons are only utilized for carbon ion radiotherapy. An ECR ion source supplies multi-charged carbon ions for this requirement. Some other medical applications with ion beams attract developer's interests. For example, the several types of accelerators are under

In this paper, we present power emulation, a novel design paradigm that utilizes hardware acceleration for the purpose of fast power estimation. Power emulation is based on the observation that the functions necessary for power estimation (power model evaluation, aggregation, etc.) can be implemented as hardware circuits. Therefore, we can enhance any given design with "power estimation hardware", map it to a prototyping platform, and exercise it with any given test stimuli to obtain power consumption estimates. Our empirical studies with industrial designs reveal that power emulation can achieve significant speedups (10X to 500X) over state-of-the-art commercial register-transfer level (RTL) power estimation tools.

A specialised school on Power Converters will be held in Baden, Switzerland, from 7 to 14 May 2014. Please note that the deadline for applications is 7 FEBRUARY 2014. A course on Introduction to Accelerator Physics will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, from 31 August to 12 September 2014. Applications are now open for this school; the application deadline is 25 APRIL 2014. Further information on these schools and other CAS events can be found on the CAS website and on the Indico page. For further information please contact Barbara.strasser@cern.ch

In this paper, we suggest a new acceleration method for Abelian gauge theories based on linear transformations to variables which weight all length scales equally. We measure the autocorrelation time for the Polyakov loop and the plaquette at β=1.0 in the U(1) gauge theory in four dimensions, for the new method and for standard Metropolis updates. We find a dramatic improvement for the new method over the Metropolis method. Computing the critical exponent z for the new method remains an important open issue.

By viewing the construction industry as a technological innovation system (TIS) this paper discusses possible initiatives to accelerate nanotechnological innovations. The point of departure is a recent report on the application of nano-technology in the Danish construction industry, which concludes...... of the system are furthermore poorly equipped at identifying potentials within high-tech areas. In order to exploit the potentials of nano-technology it is thus argued that an alternative TIS needs to be established. Initiatives should identify and support “incubation rooms” or marked niches in order...

Following a number of accidents at radiotherapy units, at Epinal and Toulouse hospitals in particular, and the problems encountered in the summer 2008, mainly caused by a shortage of radiation physicians and probably due to legislation that bears little relation to reality, a national radiotherapy monitoring committee was set up on 15 December 2008 in the presence of Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, France's Minister for Health and Sport. A first progress report was submitted to the Minister in May 2009. Twelve members sit on this national monitoring committee, including a CISS representative and a person that has received radiotherapy treatment. This demonstrates the seriousness and the commitment required of users on this issue. Radiotherapy, one of the main treatments for cancer, is a loco-regional treatment that uses radiation capable of destroying cancer cells. It can be used on its own, or before, during or after another treatment method (surgery or a medical treatment such as chemotherapy, for example). The decision to treat a patient by means of radiotherapy is based on the opinions of health care professionals discussed at a multidisciplinary team meeting, the minutes of which are sent to the various doctors involved. The radiotherapy treatment prescribed (the technique, total radiation dose, length of the treatment, number of sessions, etc.) is adapted to the individual situation of each patient. It is designed to be as effective as possible in light of the tumour pathology, while protecting neighbouring organs as far as is possible. (author)

Castleman's disease or angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder. Complete surgical resection was recommended in unicentric Castleman's disease. Radiotherapy was considered alternative therapeutic option. However, there have been consistent favorable responses to radiotherapy. We also experienced two cases of uncentric Castleman's disease salvaged successfully with radiotherapy. This paper described these cases and reviewed the literature about Castleman's disease treated with radiotherapy. Reviewed cases showed that radiotherapy is a successful treatment option in unicentric Castleman's disease. Furthermore, our report confirms the radiotherapy role in uncentric Castleman's disease.

Castleman's disease or angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder. Complete surgical resection was recommended in unicentric Castleman's disease. Radiotherapy was considered alternative therapeutic option. However, there have been consistent favorable responses to radiotherapy. We also experienced two cases of uncentric Castleman's disease salvaged successfully with radiotherapy. This paper described these cases and reviewed the literature about Castleman's disease treated with radiotherapy. Reviewed cases showed that radiotherapy is a successful treatment option in unicentric Castleman's disease. Furthermore, our report confirms the radiotherapy role in uncentric Castleman's disease.

This article gives an overview on the current status of hypofractionated radiotherapy in the treatment of prostate cancer with a special focus on the applicability in routine use. Based on a recently published systematic review the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) expert panel added additional information that has become available since then and assessed the validity of the information on outcome parameters especially with respect to long-term toxicity and long-term disease control. Several large-scale trials on moderate hypofractionation with single doses from 2.4-3.4 Gy have recently finished recruiting or have published first results suggestive of equivalent outcomes although there might be a trend for increased short-term and possibly even long-term toxicity. Large phase 3 trials on extreme hypofractionation with single doses above 4.0 Gy are lacking and only very few prospective trials have follow-up periods covering more than just 2-3 years. Until the results on long-term follow-up of several well-designed phase 3 trials become available, moderate hypofractionation should not be used in routine practice without special precautions and without adherence to the highest quality standards and evidence-based dose fractionation regimens. Extreme hypofractionation should be restricted to prospective clinical trials. (orig.) [German] Diese Uebersichtsarbeit soll den aktuellen Status der hypofraktionierten Radiotherapie des Prostatakarzinoms mit dem Fokus auf die Anwendung in der Routinetherapie darstellen. Basierend auf einem kuerzlich erschienen systematischen Review zur Hypofraktionierung sind durch das DEGRO Expertengremium zusaetzliche, in der Zwischenzeit verfuegbar gewordene Informationen mit beruecksichtigt worden. Die Validitaet der Aussagen zu Ergebnissen wurde speziell im Hinblick auf die Langzeittoxizitaet und -erkrankungskontrolle bewertet. Mehrere grosse Phase-3-Studien zur moderaten Hypofraktionierung mit Dosen von 2,4-3,4 Gy pro Fraktion